Dealing With Medical Emergencies and Conditions

Dealing With Medical Emergencies and Conditions

How to Help Your Vascular Surgeon Prepare for Your Procedure

by Vernon Foster

Whether you're addressing your varicose veins or undergoing balloon angioplasty, working alongside your vascular surgeon to make the procedure smoother leads to great post-operative outcomes. Before your surgery, you'll attend a pre-operative appointment. Preparing for this appointment and adhering to any instructions you receive will make the procedure more successful.

Give your vascular surgeon a full and concise medical history

During your pre-operative appointment, the vascular surgery team will ask you some questions. This may include details such as:

  • The medications you're currently taking and why
  • Your family's medical history - especially first-degree relatives
  • Information about ongoing health conditions and previous surgeries
  • An overview of your social and lifestyle factors, such as whether you smoke and what you do for work

Before your appointment, prepare a list of any medications you're taking, including over-the-counter and herbal remedies. Your vascular surgeon may ask you to stop taking some until after the surgery, as drugs such as blood thinners make surgery more difficult. In addition, give an honest overview of your smoking, drinking, and fitness habits, as this allows the team to give you sound advice for recovering after the procedure.

Follow special instructions carefully

While you can continue taking some medications, others might make your surgeon's job more difficult. This doesn't just include blood thinners, it may also mean over-the-counter pills such as Ibuprofen, water tablets, and some diabetes treatments. Only do this on the advice of a medical professional, as they'll carefully weigh up the benefits and risks before asking you to take action. In addition, you may need to stop eating at a certain point before the surgery - when you do this, you reduce the risk of aspirating your stomach's contents. Finally, pay attention to special instructions such as quitting smoking, as continuing could delay wound recovery.

Alert them to any changes in your condition

Alerting your surgeon to any changes in your condition is especially important if you have a chronic disease that affects your immune system, such as Crohn's. While a relapse in your condition won't always act as a barrier to surgery, it may change the approach your surgeon wants to take. Being honest with the medical team allows them to make adjustments that keep you safe.

With open communication and a consistent approach to your health, you can enhance the post-operative recovery period and make your surgery a success. Should you have any questions during your treatment, always ask so you can progress while feeling comfortable about the journey ahead. 


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About Me

Dealing With Medical Emergencies and Conditions

Hello, my name is Peter and I live in Western Australia with my wife on our pet dogs. This is my blog which details how to deal with various medical emergencies and other conditions. Last year, several friends and members of my family suffered from various different kinds of medical problems. Some of them, such as my uncle had to be rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment that saved his life. Lots of my friends had minor problems which had a big impact on the quality of their lives. I take an active interest in first-aid and other medical matters so I decided to start this blog.

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