Surgical Care
Detailed information on postoperative discomforts and potential complications, including shock, hemorrhage, wound infection, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary complications, urinary retention, and reaction to anesthesia.
During surgery, you will be given some form of anesthesia - medication administered for the relief of pain and sensation during surgery. The type and dosage of anesthesia is determined by the anesthesiologist.
The decision to have surgery is an important one. Here is a checklist to help you prepare. You'll need to arrange a time for any preoperative lab tests and for an interview with the anesthesiologist. Check with your health plan regarding costs and coverage of the surgery.
Detailed information on surgery, the different types of surgery, the surgical setting, and the purpose of surgery
Once you leave the recovery room, you may be released to go home, or you may be moved to a hospital room. Here are questions to ask your healthcare provider.
Detailed information on postoperative management
Detailed information on preoperative management
Detailed information on surgery, including surgery statistics, surgery questions, preoperative management, intraoperative management, and postoperative management
Detailed information on the day of surgery and what to expect in the operating room
A look at how open surgery compares to minimally invasive surgery, including different types of procedures.
Detailed information on intraoperative management
Detailed information on outpatient surgery.
It's normal to expect a certain amount of pain after surgery, but if the pain does not subside with pain medication, you may have a more serious problem. Your doctors and nurses will ask about your pain because they want you to be comfortable.
Detailed information on recovering from surgery and intensive care.
It's important to communicate your feelings, questions, and concerns with your healthcare provider before having surgery. Take notes, or ask a family member or friend to go with you and take notes for you. Here are some questions to get you started.
Detailed information on the surgical setting and the choices that may be available to the patient, including outpatient surgery, inpatient surgery, ambulatory surgery, and specialty surgery centers
Detailed information on surgery, including surgery statistics, surgery questions, preoperative management, intraoperative management, and postoperative management
The surgical team is made up many providers. These include a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, and an operating room nurse. Read on to learn more.
Learn about other surgical methods, like laser surgery and electrosurgery, that surgeons sometimes use.
Many surgeons order routine lab tests before surgery. These tests help find possible problems that might complicate surgery if not found and treated early.
As part of your diagnosis, you and your doctor may discuss surgery as a way to correct your condition.
How should you prepare for surgery? That depends on the type of surgery and type of anesthesia that will be used. Read on to learn more.
Wound healing sounds simple, but it's actually quite complicated and involves a long series of chemical signals. Certain factors can slow or prevent healing entirely.
Your skin is a natural barrier against infection, so any surgery that causes a break in the skin can lead to an infection. Doctors call these infections surgical site infections because they occur on the part of the body where the surgery took place.
An intra-abdominal abscess is a collection of pus or infected fluid that is surrounded by inflamed tissue inside the belly.
Your medical team may advise 1 of several different types of surgery as part of your cancer treatment. These types include cryosurgery, laser surgery, microsurgery, and electrosurgery.