Surgical Procedures

Recently Answered

• QHow is video-assisted thoracic surgery used in lung cancer?

  4 Answers

  A

  

  A Aurora Health Care answered

  Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive lung surgery that uses a scope to reach the cancer. Instead of a single long incision, VATS involves just three to four small incisions, a tiny video camera and special instruments. Pain, hospital stay, blood loss, recovery and risk of complication are less than with traditional surgery. Most surgical patients are eligible for VATS, and cancer control is equal to traditional lung cancer surgery.

  See All 4 Answers
• QHow painful is a standard thoracotomy for lung cancer?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Columbia University Department of Surgery answered

  Although VATS, or video-assisted thoracoscopy surgery, is always the procedure of choice because it is minimally invasive, the size and location of the cancer makes this procedure impossible for some individuals. These patients require a standard thoracotomy and lung resection.

  If a thoracotomy incision is required to remove the lung cancer, surgeons are able to perform the surgery with far less patient discomfort than was possible a decade ago. All of our patients are given an epidural catheter through which we provide postoperative pain medication. The pain relief from the epidural is quite effective. Patients are able to get out of bed on the first day after surgery and walk around as required.

• QWho is a good candidate for the MitraClip procedure?

  3 Answers

  A

  

  A Dr. Atiq U. Rehman, MD , Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular), answered on behalf of Lourdes Health System

  Good candidates for the MitraClip procedure include people who have severe mitral valve regurgitation but are at higher risk for standard mitral valve surgery. MitraClip is for degenerative mitral valve disease where there is actually something structurally wrong or failing in the mitral valve.

   

  See All 3 Answers
• QWhy do surgeons wear special clothing during an operation?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Jumo Health answered

  Surgeons and the rest of the surgical team wear special clothing during an operation to protect the person having surgery from germs. They wear a surgical gown, mask, cap, gloves, goggles and plastic covers on their shoes.

• QHow will my surgical team keep track of how I'm doing during my operation?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Jumo Health answered

  Your surgical team will keep track of how you're doing during your operation by using special machines that send information to monitors. Because anesthesia makes your whole body go to sleep, these machines do your body's work for you.

  You’ll have a machine that’s attached to your finger called a pulse oximeter that shows how much oxygen is in your blood. If it says you need extra oxygen, you’ll get it through a mask that covers your mouth and nose. You’ll also have a heart monitor that tells how fast your heart is beating, and a cuff, wrapped around your upper arm, that will measure your blood pressure.

• QWhat is the process when I have an operation in the hospital?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Jumo Health answered

  The process of having an operation in the hospital involves several steps:

  • Upon arrival at the hospital, a nurse will welcome you.
  • The nurse will put a plastic band around your wrist with your name and your date of birth on it.
  • You'll change into a hospital gown.
  • Your surgeon will explain to you why you need the operation and what happens during it.
  • You'll talk to your anesthesiologist, a doctor who specializes in medicine that puts you to sleep.
  • Once you fall asleep, they’ll bring you to the operating theater for your operation.
  • Once the operation is over, you will wake up in the recovery room. You might still feel sleepy. It can take a while for the anesthetic medicine to wear off.
  • If you have any pain, your nurse will give you some medicine.
  • Usually you’ll go home the same day, but if it’s a big operation you might stay in the hospital for a few days.
• QWhat will recovery be like after my MitraClip procedure?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Dr. Vamsee Mohan M. Yaganti, MD , Interventional Cardiology, answered on behalf of St. Mark's Hospital

  

  Recovery after a MitraClip procedure is usually related to the groin area, the point of access for the procedure. In this video, Vamsee Yaganti, MD, from Heart Center at St. Mark's, details what happens after the MitraClip procedure.
• QHow is an emergency operation different from an elective operation?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Jumo Health answered

  Emergency operations and elective operations are different types of operations. People get an emergency operation if they become unwell very quickly. An elective operation is one that is planned in advance. Operations are very common and most people have one at some time in their lives.

• QWhat is the MitraClip procedure?

  2 Answers

  A

  

  A Dr. Nayab M. Zafar, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered on behalf of Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center

  

  MitraClip is a minimally invasive surgery for mitral regurgitation, says Nayab Zafar, MD, from Sunrise Hospital. Learn more about the procedure by watching this short video.

  See All 2 Answers
• QWhat is an esophagectomy?

  4 Answers

  A

  

  A Dr. Lyall A. Gorenstein, MD , Thoracic Surgery (Cardiothoracic Vascular), answered on behalf of Columbia University Department of Surgery

  Esophagectomy involves removing and replacing a portion of or the entire esophagus. The procedure is usually used as an intervention for cancer or Barrett's dysplasia, but is also sometimes employed to treat benign disease such as esophageal atresia, achalasia, or injury to the esophagus. The procedure should be performed by a specially trained thoracic or general surgeon who performs esophagectomy on a regular basis.

  See All 4 Answers