surgery because of fear that the surgery will worsen the cancer treatment is just not the right thing to do and it can delay definitive treatment.
Preoperative Questions Prior to having surgery, the surgeon discusses the risk, benefits, and adverse effects of having the procedure. There are several questions a patient might have prior to having surgery for any reason that can be asked before having surgery performed. Here are a few important postoperative questions: •
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What is the primary goal of the surgery? Is it to fix a hernia, remove cancer, stage a cancer, diagnose a cancer, or remove an abscess? There are many reasons for surgery that need to be elucidated prior to having the procedure? What is the success rate of the operation? What is the likelihood that the surgery will alleviate the patient’s problem? What is the likelihood that another surgery will be necessary at a later date? Are there any nonsurgical options that may help alleviate the problem without having to resort to surgery? Any non-surgical options should be discussed with the patient before surgery. Will other treatments be necessary besides surgery? In cancer surgery, many patients will undergo chemotherapy and radiation that will serve as an adjunct to surgery. Some treatments for abscesses will need postoperative antibiotic therapy and other patients may need physical therapy after an orthopedic procedure. Is the patient healthy enough to undergo surgery? There is a lot of stress that cancer puts on the surgical patient, including the stress of anesthesia. These possible stressors may need to be evaluated prior to having surgery. Is the surgeon qualified to do the surgery? How many previous similar surgeries have they done and are they a board-certified surgeon? How experienced is the surgeon in treating cancers? How long will the surgery take? The longer the surgery, the greater is the risk of anesthesia complications. What will happen with the surgery? Will organs be removed and, if so, how will this affect biological functioning? Will the family be updated during surgery? Many surgical patients will have a long surgery that needs to have someone in the surgery to leave the procedure temporarily to make sure that the surgery is going well. Will the patient need blood transfusions during surgery? Blood can be banked beforehand by family members to make sure the blood given to the patient is safe and fee of diseases? What is the preparation for surgery? Does the patient have to take a bowel prep or other preparation before having surgery and, if so, when should this be done? What are the expectations after surgery? Will the patient need opiate pain medications and will there be any surgical drains or catheters exiting the body after surgery? How long is the recovery time after surgery? How long will the patient have to be hospitalized? What will be involved in the post-surgical care? How long will it take before the patient can resume their normal activities of daily living? Will there be a period of rehabilitation or will the patient just gradually recover?
