I developed intense heartburn during my second pregnancy. I tried every pregnancy-safe home remedy I could find and nothing seemed to work. I was hopeful that once my daughter was born, it would improve. When it didn't, I spent a lot of time working with an internal medicine specialist and researching remedies online. I've found many different things that help in different ways. I decided to create this site to document the solutions that I've found and help others to find a way to manage their chronic heartburn as well. If you're struggling with persistent heartburn, I hope this information helps you find relief.
Every surgical procedure comes with some risks. However, you can rest assured that surgeons do everything they can to minimize these risks and keep you safe throughout the procedure. Some safety protocols and steps are unique to the procedure, but there are also some steps surgeons take during every procedure to reduce risk and ensure you're kept safe.
Surgical Site Marking
Have you ever heard horror stories about people having the wrong limb amputated? Unfortunately, this did happen in the past, and it sparked this safety protocol. Now, surgeons mark the surgical site when patients are awake and aware, whenever possible. This makes it nearly impossible for them to confuse your identity or operate on the wrong site.
Team Collaboration
Most people assume one surgeon will be operating on them. But while one person may perform most of the procedure, there will also be other staff there. The surgical assistants and surgical nurses help watch over the surgeon to ensure they catch any slip-ups early on. The team will also collaborate before your procedure to ensure there's a game plan and a Plan B in place, and that everyone knows their role in executing those plans.
Compression Stockings
One of the biggest risks with many surgeries is that you'll form blood clots in your legs, either during or after the procedure. This is minimized by the use of compression stockings to keep blood from pooling in your legs. Unless you are having surgery on a leg, you may be asked to put them on before surgery. Other times, they may be put on for you.
Instrument Checklists
Your surgeon and their team will go down a checklist to make sure all surgical instruments, including clips, scalpels, and needles, are accounted for before your incision is sewn shut. This ensures no surgical tools are left inside your body — something else that unfortunately happened, on occasion, in the past.
Vital Monitoring
These days, you're hooked up to a lot more than a heart rate monitor when you go in for surgery! Machines monitor your blood sugar levels, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature, and more. If anything concerning comes up, the surgeon knows about it almost immediately and can take action to keep you safe.
Surgery is never 100% safe, but it can be close, thanks to all of these innovations and practices. You can trust your general surgeon to do their very best for you.
For more information, contact a general surgeon.
Share4 March 2021
