Surgical appliance (5)
I believe the answer is:
truss
'surgical appliance' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for truss that I've seen before include "Bind like a chicken" , "Surgical appliance" , "Padded device worn to support a hernia" , "Surgical support" , "Tie up tightly; frame" .)