Emergency & Elective Routine Surgery
Elective surgery
Elective surgery isn’t always an optional surgery; it just means that the surgery can be scheduled in advance. These kinds of surgeries aren’t for life-threatening conditions but rather for an improved quality of life. Sometimes they’re for serious conditions like cancer.
Here are some examples:
- kidney stone removal
- removing piles
- managing varicose veins
- mole or wart removal
- hernia surgery
- mastectomy (breast removal)
Elective surgeries can spur lifestyle habits that help you improve your general health. Certain procedures require you to make committed lifestyle changes before the procedure, as surgeries are quite physically demanding—the days and weeks before the procedure offer a valuable opportunity to improve your health so that it’s a smoother process, and to aid in recovery.
Dr Hatchuel recommends changes such as:
- reducing or stopping smoking
- exercising
- losing weight
- eating healthier food
Smoking a lot, or having diabetes (caused—in part— by lifestyle factors like an overindulgent diet or obesity) can compromise healing after surgery. So to give yourself the best chance of a successful operation, it’s a good idea to consider these health improvements.
Emergency surgery
Emergency surgery is performed for urgent medical conditions, like severe illness and serious injuries. This type of surgery is done to save lives or where organs, limbs, and tissues are in danger of being damaged.
Can’t I just go to a regular surgeon?Not really. Dr Hatchuel is trained as an emergency surgeon—which means he’s developed a very particular skill set that allows him to be able to make quick, potentially life-saving decisions, know when to involve other specialist surgeons, and navigate the care of patients with multi-faceted issues.
What kind of medical emergency requires surgery?Dr Hatchuel can assist you with anything from paediatric emergencies or burns, to trauma injuries, appendicitis, and internal bleeding.
Other common emergencies include:
- gallbladder infections
- skin or soft tissue infections
- acute pancreatitis
- cardiac (heart) emergencies
- aneurysms
- respiratory failure
- complications from peptic ulcers
- complications from Crohn’s disease
- bowel obstructions
After taking your vital signs, Dr Hatchuel will assess you physically and ask about your medical history, if you’re allergic to anything, and your current medicine use.
Your treatment will most likely begin immediately. If you’re critically ill/injured, you may need to be stabilised with medicine, a transfusion, or an intravenous (IV) drip.
Then, tests may need to be performed to assess the best way of helping you. Tests may include x-rays, CT or MRI scans, or electrocardiograms. This will let Dr Hatchuel know if emergency surgery is necessary.
Your recovery journey will depend on the surgery performed.