This was originally discussed on this Polaris thread: https://forum.ss13polaris.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=364
The operation would be relatively short. Open the incision, trauma/burn kit, close incision. Currently, 30-40 damage seems like a decent amount of healing for the operation, but this could be adjusted, since the discussion over this addition was on a server with non-extended game-modes, an emphasis on death, and antagonists that actually want to kill crew and make them stay dead, so that value was chosen with balance in mind tailored to that server in particular. One important thing to note is that it's suggested to be Scalpel, Hemostat, Retractor, Trauma/Burn kit, Cautery. This is the same process for healing liver, appendix, and kidney damage. It's possible this could conflict with the brute/burn heal surgery if it doesn't play well with another identical operation.
So, why is this being suggested? What purpose does it serve?
Currently, the only way to handle severe injuries (100+ damage) is with Chemistry. Trauma and Burn kits only heal 3 damage per use and kickstart regen if the damage is under 50 or 60. Even if this value was changed to allow the regen, it would still be terribly slow, leaving Chemistry as the primary means of handling severe cases. The purpose of this addition is to create a Medical system that's a little more balanced between Chemistry and Surgery. The surgery itself would be the second shortest operation outside of facial reconstruction which has four steps against this one's five. The only other ""operation"" that's shorter is limb amputation/replacement, but since that's literally a one to two step process, it isn't exactly much of an operation. The simplicity of it allows for faster completion, making it about the same speed as Chemistry, depending on which chems you're competing against. To test this, I completed a liver repair surgery, which would take the same amount of time. It was completed in 45 seconds, which amounts to 30-40 damage healed if we went with the initial suggested values. Then, I tested bicaridine on a critical brute patient for 45 seconds. The amount healed was similar, within five damage points, meaning that currently, it's just as effective as Chemistry as it was meant for Chemistry to be better as far as "It's less work."
I'm suggesting it's bumped to 50, since Bicaridine and Kelotane are already readily available if you know how to add carbon and inaprovaline and raid a burn first-aid kit, precisely because it's more work than simply injecting. In addition, I'm suggesting that this work for corpses, but to a lesser extent, healing about 20 damage without being repeatable.
So, what does this provide?
- Patients get treatment options if their case isn't critical. Either an operation or medicine that might take a little longer. If they're critical, you'd likely patch up the brute/burn while operating on whatever else needs fixing, which brings us to,
- Overall, faster trips to Medbay. Instead of having to wait for chems to get rid of that trauma before operating (if we don't, the surgery might fail) we could knock out two stones with one bird and operate to get the damage down, before going on to the fracture/etc.
- If you like surgery and have fun doing it, and the patient's cool with you operating, then you can operate away that 20 brute damage instead of giving them a trauma kit. Doctors can have preferences, too.
- Gives another use for Surgery in general. Right now, let's be honest, it isn't usually all that necessary. The only thing we can't do with chemicals is object removal/placement limb removal/replacement. And sometimes somebody runs around outside and you'd rather fix 200 eye damage with surgery than giving them an overdose of Imidazoline and Peridaxon and babysitting a while.
- A non-chemical alternative to healing damage that's about as fast as the chemical. Given that this is a bit more circumstantial, it should probably be raised to around 50 damage healed per operation so it's slightly faster, given it's more work and can only be done within Medbay whereas chems can be used anywhere.
I don't think Chemistry, or the damage system itself, needs to be touched over this (these were brought up in the discord discussion). But, yeh, comments, questions, concerns, etc.
Edit: Forgot to mention. With an IMS, this becomes an absurdly fast surgery. The reason why I personally don't think it should heal too much more than 60 maximum is due to improved surgical tools existing.