Surgery restores health,
quality of life
THERE ARE MANY
reasons your
physician may recommend surgery.
An operation may help relieve pain,
improve movement or save your
life. An operation can also be used to
diagnose a problem, such as when a
biopsy helps a doctor detect cancer or
other disease.
Surgeries are generally categorized
as inpatient or outpatient. Inpatient
surgeries require the patient to stay in the
hospital one or more days following the
procedure. Outpatient procedures allow
the patient to return home the same day.
Less trauma, faster healing
Improvements in technology, as well
as the training and skill of the
physician, have changed the way
many surgeries are performed. One
reason patients can return home
so quickly is the increased use of
minimally invasive procedures.
During minimally invasive
surgery, physicians use a
laparoscope, which is a small
tube with a video camera. They
make small incisions to insert the
laparoscope and other instruments
needed to perform the surgery.
This type of procedure reduces the
postoperative pain and the amount
of bleeding during surgery. This leads
to fewer and smaller scars than with
open surgery.
Minimally invasive surgery
also means more convenience and
comfort for the patient. For example, a
new stereotactic breast biopsy system at
Ashtabula County Medical Center (ACMC)
gives physicians the opportunity to take
a sample of breast tissue without using
invasive techniques in a full surgical
room.
With stereotactic breast biopsy, a
small, hollow needle is used to remove
a tiny sample of tissue for biopsy. The
surgeon uses the mammography x-ray
equipment and computer to pinpoint the
precise area to remove the sample. A
local anesthetic is used, meaning that
only the area to be biopsied is numbed.
The patient remains awake throughout
the procedure.
High tech and an expert team
Many surgeries require the patient to be
asleep during the procedure. In those
cases, an anesthesiologist administers
the proper amount of general anesthesia
to put the patient to sleep and monitors
the patient’s condition and vital signs
throughout the surgical procedure.
Surgeons at ACMC are assisted by a
team of skilled and compassionate nurses.
They are also assisted by the best
technology. New diagnostic technology
such as digital mammography, video-
enhanced thoracoscopes, gastroscopes,
colonoscopes and a new magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) machine
give surgeons at ACMC more detailed
information about a patient’s health
problems.
Take time to discuss surgical options
with your physician.
And for the most comprehensive surgical expertise in our area, ask to be
referred to a specialist at ACMC.
For more information about surgical options at ACMC, visit
.
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ACMC Pulse •
