The title of the "fastest surgeon" in history belongs to Robert Liston, a 19th-century Scottish surgeon renowned for performing amputations in as little as 28 to 30 seconds. In the modern era, becoming any kind of certified surgeon requires significant, dedicated training, but general surgery is often considered a foundational and efficient path.
Robert Liston (1794-1847) held a (well-earned) reputation as the fastest surgeon of his time.
Becoming a surgeon takes least 13 years. Required steps include completing a four-year bachelor's degree, a four-year medical degree, and a minimum five-year residency requirement. Other steps, like AP or honors classes in high school, gap years, and fellowship experience, differ depending on the student.
Operating times, like surgery recovery times, are the shortest for vasectomies and appendectomies. A vasectomy averages around 20 – 30 minutes while an appendectomy usually takes about an hour. Most of the surgeries we looked into take a minimum of one hour.
Orthopedic surgery and certain areas of plastic surgery are frequently cited as relatively easier due to their straightforward nature, compared to more intricate specialties like neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery or trauma surgery.
Plastic surgeons are typically thought of as the surgeons with the lowest stress levels and lowest burnout in surgery as a whole, though they scored one percentage point higher than orthopedics.
Robert Liston is known as the one-time fastest surgeon in London, the first to use anaesthetic, and for conducting a surgery that had a 300% mortality rate.
Doctors with the shortest training times include:
Yet it is widely agreed that most surgeons reach their peak of overall performance around the second half of the fifth decade (45–50 years of age).
1. Neurosurgery. Neurosurgeons earn an average of $763,908 per year, which is 219% higher than the national median salary of physicians in the U.S. They perform complex surgeries on the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Training includes at least a seven-year residency, making it one of the most demanding specialties.
What are some of the Hardest Residency Specialties to Match?
Akrit Pran Jaswal was born on April 23, 1993, in Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh. He became an internet sensation because of his extraordinary talents. At just 7 years old, Jaswal performed surgery on an 8-year-old burn victim.
To become a general surgeon, it typically takes a minimum of 13 years of post-secondary education (after graduation of high school) and training. Additional training, termed a fellowship, can be completed after residency. If this is done, training can take up to 16 years or more.
Cataract surgery is a day procedure which generally takes 10 minutes. It is performed under local anaesthetic with heavy twilight sedation so you are comfortable.
Disc surgeries of the spine have a failure rate greater than 50%. 10% of patients experience a worsening of symptoms after surgical intervention.
The medical name for the procedure is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) or CRS/HIPEC.
Level 5 surgery involves highly complex and risky procedures. Examples include cardiothoracic surgeries and major organ transplants. Understanding surgical complexity is vital for risk assessment. Level 5 surgeries require highly skilled medical professionals.
Globally, Ischaemic Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) remains the world's biggest killer, but regionally, Dementia (including Alzheimer's) has recently become the leading cause of death in countries like Australia, surpassing heart disease for females and overall, while heart disease leads for males. Other top causes globally include stroke, respiratory infections, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Enter Robert Liston — one of the fastest surgeons in history. He could perform an amputation in under 30 seconds. ⏱️ His famous line to students holding stopwatches: “Time me, gentlemen, time me!”
A renegade physician, a pioneer, the father of open-heart surgery, and perhaps the best surgeon who ever lived, Dr. Michael DeBakey died of natural causes at 99.
As of 2025, the average age of a surgeon in the United States is approximately 54.4 years, indicating a steady increase over the years. Notably, around 25.6% of active medical practitioners are aged 65 or older, underscoring a significant demographic shift within the healthcare workforce.
Eligibility criteria to become a doctor
Age criteria: Minimum age of 17 years as of December 31 of the admission year.
Dr. Balamurali Ambati is a well-known ophthalmologist who made history by becoming the youngest doctor in the world at the age of 17. He was born on July 29, 1977, in Vellore, India. Ambati completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree from the Gandhi Medical College in Hyderabad, India.