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Important Questions To Ask Doctor before any Surgery including Heart Surgery

There are various questions to ask doctor before any surgery. Many people have surgical treatments every year. Most of these surgical treatments are not emergency treatments and therefore the people going through such treatments have time to ask different questions about their treatments. They also have time to make a decision on whether to have the operation or not. The following are some of the questions that people can ask doctors before any surgery including heart surgery.

One of the questions to ask doctor before surgery is the operation that the doctor is recommending. The doctor should explain the required surgical procedure and why to it is essential in the present circumstance. For example, the doctor can sketch a picture to explain the steps that will be involved in the surgery and the benefits of each of these steps.

Another question to ask a doctor before any surgery is why the operation is needed. There are various reasons why a surgical treatment may be done. These include the improvement of body function, pain relief, diagnosis of a particular disease and to save life among others. It is always good to enquire why surgery is needed for treatment as well as the benefits of the operation.

Availability of alternatives is part of the questions to ask doctor before any surgery. The doctor should explain whether there are alternatives for the treatment of the medical problem. This is because, there may be other non-surgical treatment alternatives that may help in addressing the present situation. The doctor should also explain the risks associated with any non-surgical treatment options in order to clarify why surgery is the best option for the present case.

Another question to ask a doctor before any surgery is the risks that may come as a result of that operation. Surgical treatments come with benefits and risks. It is good to know both benefits and risks in order to consider the advantages against the dangers. Moreover, it is good to ask the doctor about his/her experience in offering surgical treatments in order to ensure that the doctor is experienced in this field.

It is also important to ask the doctor where the surgery will be done. This will help the doctor to explain the setting where the surgery will be performed and the success rate at that particular setting. Moreover, it is also good to ask the doctor the length of time needed to heal after the surgery. It is also important to know the cost of the surgery in order to ensure that one has enough money for the treatment. In this connection, it is good to know the most important questions to ask doctor before any surgery.

Suggested Questions to ask the Doctors and/or Surgeons before Open-heart surgery:

1. PFO and ASD ?? (what is different)
2. Are there any common complications after the operation?
3. Who will be doing the surgery? How many surgeons will be in the room?
4. How long does the surgery usually take?
5. What type of materials are you going to use?
6. What kind of follow-up is expected after the procedure?
7. Are there any restrictions in lifestyle post-surgery? Weight lifting, sports of any kind?
8. What kinds of post-op medication will you have the patient on (e.g. aspirin, blood thinner, blood pressure med, etc.)? For life, or approximately how long?
9. Risk of infection!?

Questions about the surgeon:

1. How many surgery have you done? On adults - children?
2. What type of certification do you have?

Answers to questions from patients and their families prior to surgery

Heart Surgery Risks

Mayo Clinic Researchers
"Just because you have a hole, you don't automatically need to have it closed. You don't need to panic."

Dr. Meissner agrees. "More people are now getting PFOs repaired unnecessarily," she says. "Some don't need to be fixed. For patients who know they have a PFO and have not had neurologic symptoms, I'd advise them to sit tight. They don't need heart surgery to close the PFO.".... source http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051209113618.htm

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Treatment of an ASD depends on the size, location, degree of symptoms present and the effect the defect has on the heart muscle.

Observation and monitoring
Patients who have a small ASD without symptoms or heart rhythm disturbances, may only require periodic monitoring by a cardiologist specializing in adult congenital heart disease. A typical evaluation would include a thorough physical exam, electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram, and an exercise test. A Holter monitor or event recorder may also be used to check for irregular heart rhythms.

Medical management
In some circumstances, closure either by surgery or catheter-delivered occluder is not recommended. In these situations, medical management is important to decrease the risk of complications of the atrial septal defect or to reduce symptoms.

When an ASD is associated with high pulmonary pressures, closing the defect may not be appropriate. Early detection and regular evaluation are very important to avoiding high pulmonary pressures....http://www.mayoclinic.org/atrial-septal-defect/treatment.html

There are even instances when fixing a hole in the heart in adulthood can harm the organ, which will be thrown by the changed hemodynamics, or blood circulation, says Professor Richard Harvey, head of developmental biology at the Victor Chang Institute at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital....http://www.smh.com.au/news/Health/Theres-a-hole-in-my-heart/2005/04/28/1114635664338.html?from=moreStories

Early Intervention Key To Repairing Hole In Heart Disease

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Non English:

Pretkomorski defekt septuma ili atrijalni septalni defekt-ASD