Blood products are one of the most valuable tools that doctors have to help critically ill patients. They can be lifesaving in the right circumstances, but they can also have some risks that are worth knowing about. If you are planning to have surgery or are in a medical situation where a transfusion is being […] Read more »
In a recent post, I wrote about common medications used to relieve pain after an operation. One of the medications I mentioned–probably the most commonly used pain medication of all–was acetaminophen. Best known by its brand name Tylenol, acetaminophen is found in all sorts of other medications. Recently there have been a number of news […] Read more »
Sometimes you have time to plan a surgical procedure with your medical team over a period of weeks or months. But sometimes medical emergencies happen without any warning. In this post, we’ll review some of the important ways that you can prepare for unexpected medical emergencies. Following some of these simple steps won’t prevent you […] Read more »
Once you leave the hospital after having an operation or treatment, the last thing you want to do is come back because of a problem or complication. Readmission to the hospital is a huge disappointment for patients and their healthcare providers. Sometimes being readmitted to the hospital can’t be avoided, but there are some things […] Read more »
In my years of practicing medicine, one of the things that patients have always seemed most anxious about is ostomies. An ostomy is what you call the place where a tube from inside the abdomen (part of the intestine or urinary tract) is brought up to the skin of the abdominal wall to empty body […] Read more »
In my previous post, I outlined the criteria for what patients have to do before going home from the hospital after an operation. Even when you meet all those criteria, though, you won’t be going home completely healed — that process can take weeks or months. Many patients go home with, and will need to take […] Read more »
Did you know that the process of getting ready to go home from the hospital starts before you’ve even arrived in the operating room? The discharge process actually starts when you are admitted to the hospital, and you can start learning about and planning for discharge from the moment you arrive. There are lots of […] Read more »
Modern surgery is remarkably safe and getting safer all the time. Still, complications can happen, even in so-called “minor” operations, while accidents and emergencies can put a person in the hospital when they least expect it. In the worst-case scenario, an accident or complication can leave a person unable to communicate about his or her […] Read more »
Pain control is an incredibly important part of recovering from surgery, both at the hospital and at home or in rehab. In my previous post, I explained the members of the healthcare team who are involved in pain management. Here, I’ll discuss some of the tools they use for managing pain. Pain Management Used To Numb Specific […] Read more »
One of the biggest concerns that patients have about surgery is dealing with pain. Pain control is an incredibly important part of what your medical team does, and the surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses who care for surgical patients have a number of tools that they can use to help with pain control. In this post, […] Read more »