General Surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs including but not limited to the esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland. General surgeons also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, and hernias. These surgeons deal mainly in the torso, but they are trained to manage a broad spectrum of diseases and injuries affecting almost any area of the body that requires surgical intervention. In addition, they share a central core of knowledge common to all surgical specialties such as anatomy, physiology, metabolism, immunology, nutrition, pathology, wound healing, shock and resuscitation, intensive care, and benign and malignant growths.

These physicians are involved in diagnosis, preoperative, operative, and postoperative care of the surgical patient, and they are trained to provide comprehensive management of trauma and complete care of critically ill patients with underlying surgical conditions. The surgeon uses a variety of diagnostic techniques, including endoscopy, for observing internal structures, and may use specialized instruments during operative procedures. General surgeons rarely perform neurologic, orthopedic, thoracic, or urologic procedures, but they are familiar with other surgical specialties in order to know when to refer a patient to another specialist.

Laparoscopic surgery, also known as minimally invasive surgery, is one of the most common types of surgical techniques used by general surgeons today. Also, the use of robotic technology in surgery (which utilize automated machines to increase precision for particularly sensitive areas or difficult maneuvers) is a growing trend, and commonly used by Dr. Johnson.

Dr. Matthew Johnson is a Las Vegas Board Certified Robotic Surgeon, specializing in gallbladder surgery, hernia surgery, foregut surgery, and hepatobiliary surgery. He also cares for patients in the fields of general surgery, trauma & acute care surgery, and critical care.