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Day Care Cosmetic Surgery - Article
Those of you who have had any surgery or have looked after someone having surgery in the family, know that it involves a lot of preparation and recovery time. For a routine surgery patient usually gets admitted the day before surgery, is examined by junior doctors and blood and other tests are done. For a lot of major surgeries blood is reserved in the blood bank for which usually a family member or known donor is needed. On the night before, shaving of the part to be operated like abdomen, groin, armpits chest, legs or head is done by hospital staff- and one only prays that they would be gentle and not cause any cuts. Then comes the worst part- rectal enema which is considered mandatory before anaesthesia. After overnight fasting or fasting thru the day (at least 8 hours) one is taken into the operation theatre. After surgery patients averagely stay in hospital for 2-5 days and sometimes longer, during which time fluids and antibiotics are commonly given intravenously apart from intramuscular painkillers. These wholes exercise though necessary at times has very powerful negative psychological impact on the patient and the family and even though surgeries have become safer people still fear them.
There are several disadvantages associated with this prolonged process:
• Lot of time way from work and family.
• Lot of manpower (family or friends) is needed.
• Loss of privacy due to shaving and enema.
• Hospital acquired infections are associated with long hospital stay.
• Prolonged iv fluids cause additional pain and sometimes swelling.
• Increased cost associated towards room rent, duty doctor and nurses visits etc. Attendents also have to spend additionally on food and travel everyday.
• Psychological feeling of being sick while in hospital.
Day care cosmetic surgery is a relatively new concept in our country but its gaining popularity rapidly. Going for day care surgery involved following steps:
• Visit to doctor in her clinic with the blood test reports. You are examined by doctor personally and related measurements and clinical photography are done in privacy. Consent forms are filled now rather than in the morning of surgery, so that you have enough time to go over them and ask any questions. Then you are handed simple instructions to be followed before surgery which are usually nothing more than fasting for 6-8 hours. You may be asked to remove hair from armpits or groin at home if necessary. A lot of cosmetic surgeries are done under local anesthesia for which you don't even have to fast .
• Report at the hospital at the designated time usually in the forenoon, one hour before surgery. There is no more examination by duty doctors, beyond recording your pulse, BP and temperature.
• If surgery was under local anaesthesia patient goes back home 1 hour after surgery. If surgery was under general anaesthsia then patient is shifted to postoperative unit for 4-5 hours. When he is fully conscious , has eaten food, is walking and comfortable, he is sent home, usually 6 hours after surgery.
• Patients are instructed to have someone with them at home who can reach the doctor in case of any emergency. All medications are given orally and stitches are removed in doctor's clinic.
A lot of cosmetic surgeries like nose jobs, facial surgeries, breast surgeries and liposuction can be done as daycare surgery. Patient has to be perfectly healthy to have daycare surgery. Only procedures that take shorter than 2 hours to operate and which are not associated with significant blood loss are selected for daycare surgery. Special anaesthesia is given for quick recovery. If the abovementioned criteria are followed the daycare surgery is safe.
Most cosmetic surgery procedures are superficial and not very painful. Usually patients do not want to involve too many people in their care and do not want their surgery to be a common knowledge. Day care surgery involves less cost and less risk of hospital acquired infection. Therefore demand for daycare surgery is increasing.
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