Surgery is a common theme on Lost, and has been utilized both on the Island and off. Most of the surgeries seen on the show were conducted by Jack, Juliet, or Christian, three characters who are best known as doctors. Also, most surgeries are used to significantly advance the plot (i.e. Jack holding Ben hostage to allow Kate and Sawyer to escape).
Season One
- Jack tells Kate the "counting to five" story, concerning surgery he performed which taught him a valuable lesson about fear. ("Pilot, Part 1")
- Kate stitched up Jack's wounds. ("Pilot, Part 1")
- Jack removed shrapnel from Edward Mars, who later died. ("Pilot, Part 2")
- Christian Shephard remarked to a young Jack that he performed surgery on a girl who died. ("House of the Rising Sun")
- After Sayid stabbed Sawyer, hitting an arm artery, Jack successfully stitched Sawyer up. ("Confidence Man")
- Christian Shephard attempted to operate on a pregnant woman unsuccessfully, and despite Jack's best efforts, she died. This causes Christian to be dismissed from the hospital. ("All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues")
- Locke gives a kidney to Anthony Cooper. ("Deus Ex Machina")
- Jack attempted to heal Boone, even to the point of attempting a blood transfusion, and trying to amputate Boone's leg. However, Boone died. ("Do No Harm")
- Locke references the surgery game Operation when removing dynamite from the Black Rock. ("Exodus, Part 2")
Season Two
- Jack operated on Sarah Shephard, the victim of a car accident, attempting to fix her paralysis. Miraculously, the surgery works. ("Man of Science, Man of Faith")
- Jack operated on Angelo Busoni's spinal tumor, unsuccessfully. ("The Hunting Party")
- Jack worked to heal Sawyer, who had been shot by Tom. ("What Kate Did")
- Jack removed an arrow from Ben's shoulder. ("One of Them")
Season Three
- Jack does surgery on Colleen in an unsuccessful attempt to save her. ("Every Man for Himself")
- Jack performed surgery on Ben to remove his spinal tumor. He then held him prisoner until Sawyer and Kate can escape. ("I Do") ("Not in Portland")
- Sabine died on Juliet and Ethan's operating table. ("One of Us")
Season Four
- Juliet lost Henrietta during surgery. ("The Other Woman")
- Juliet performed an appendectomy on Jack. ("Something Nice Back Home")
Season Five
- Hajer hurriedly re-set Locke's broken leg after he arrived in Tunisia. ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham")
- Juliet and Debra attempted to fix Ben after he was shot by Sayid. ("Whatever Happened, Happened").
- Jack is seen performing his first solo surgery where he accidentally cuts the patient's dural sack. ("The Incident, Part 1")