Beyond the doctors and nurses who care for patients, there are dozens of other professionals who work in the hospital. While doctors and nurses care for patients’ immediate medical needs, these other medical staff do many other tasks that go along with caring for patients in the hospital and helping them get home.This post describes […] Read more »
Most of the time, when people have surgery, they wake up with a closed incision that has hidden absorbable sutures and requires no special care. But there are some operations and conditions that require placement of non-absorbable stitches or staples, or a surgical drain, and these can remain in place for days or even weeks. […] Read more »
Nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting how well you recover from an operation. Healthy nutrition before an operation, as measured by good levels of a protein in the blood called albumin, has been clearly shown to improve healing after operations and to reduce the chance of wound infections. Likewise, maintaining good nutrition […] Read more »
When you or a loved one goes in for surgery, you have an important job to do: Be an advocate. To do that, you need to understand that role. So, what does it mean to be an advocate? In today’s busy, complicated healthcare environment, it’s not enough for patients to come in to the hospital […] Read more »
When you meet with your surgeon to discuss your operation, you will be asked to sign a “consent” document for surgery. That document should list the planned operation and the name of the doctor who will be performing the operation. All of this will be a small part of a long document with a lot […] Read more »
One of the most important decisions that your surgical team makes when you are getting ready for an operation is what medications you should and shouldn’t take. Some medications are vitally important to continue taking during the time leading up to, and after your operation. However, there are others that should be stopped well in […] Read more »
One of the most frequent questions that surgeons are asked is when a patient can start driving, or return to work or school. Believe it or not, there isn’t a secret formula for this. Every patient is different. When doctors quote a certain number of days from the time of surgery to resuming normal activities, […] Read more »
When most people hear the term “epidural” they automatically think of an anesthetic used for childbirth. The reality, though, is that epidural anesthetics have a wide range of uses in surgery. Epidurals not only reduce pain, they also may improve outcomes from surgery for some patients. For that reason, epidurals are becoming more common for […] Read more »
One of the most feared complications of surgery is a blood clot that forms in the veins of the legs and travels to the arteries of the lungs. It’s called a “pulmonary embolus,” or PE. Even though hospitals and doctors do many things to prevent PEs, informed patients can play an important role as well. […] Read more »
Unless your operation is an emergency, you’ll see your surgeon at least once in the clinic before your surgery date. Usually, that visit happens at least a week or two before your operation. Your clinic visit is incredibly important: It’s where you and your surgeon will discuss your condition and decide what operation, if any, […] Read more »