A BREAKTHROUGH PROCEDURE for appendectomies? “According to doctors who performed the operation in San Diego, a flexible tube is used to thread miniature surgical instruments down the patient’s throat into their stomach. At that point, the fun begins—unless you’re an appendix, of course. Once the tools are safely inserted into the patient’s gut, a tiny incision is made in the stomach wall to get at the appendix. The inflamed appendix is cut away, grabbed by one of the mini-tools, and bagged in a special mesh pouch. The organ is then pulled back into the stomach and out of the mouth.”