Surgery is never a fun prospect to think about. The thought of having your body opened up is more than enough to make the procedure one you’d rather avoid. This, of course, varies between people. Some people are more open to the idea, while to others, this is nothing short of a nightmare being forced onto them, not by choice, but by necessity.
The one thing that doesn’t vary among individuals is the fact that regardless of your opinion on surgical procedures, there are guidelines on how to best prepare for an operation. These guidelines have to be strictly followed in order to minimize the risks involved with the procedure. There is always a risk of loss of limb or worse, loss of life.
In the same way that medical professional have general guidelines that they need to follow, so do patients. So, what are these general guidelines that you need to follow strictly in order to have a safe surgery?
Refrain From Eating Or Drinking For A Period Indicated By Your Doctor
This may seem like a trivial measure, but it’s actually a very important detail. A lot of general surgery preparations articles will include this item on their list, but few of them actually explain why. Here’s why you shouldn’t eat or drink prior to surgery.
When your stomach has food and drink in it, there’s a significantly increased risk of regurgitation (where the bile goes up your throat). When the anesthesia takes effect, you are unable to cough up your food if it does go up your throat. In essence, your vomit ends up in your lungs and you also run a high risk of aspiration.
Bathe and Clean, But Do Not Shave
Observing proper hygiene before a surgical procedure isn’t only meant as a measure to help you avoid embarrassment, it also helps lower the risk of infection. A clean body is less likely to have an infection than a body that’s dirty.
Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t shave the target area because this, too, could increase the risk of infection. That, as well as the fact that the medical personnel are bound to shave the areas for you anyway while they prepare your body for surgery. According to the lawyers from www.seattlemalpracticelawyers.com, this is standard procedure that, if neglected, may find these medical professionals at risk of getting sued for medical malpractice.
Wear Loose-Fitting Clothes
This is in contrast to the common “wear comfortable clothing” suggestion. This is primarily because “comfortable” is a subjective term. Some people could be more comfortable with tight clothes versus loose clothes. While in most scenarios, it’s best to choose what you’re comfortable with, surgery is not one of these situations.
You need to wear loose-fitting clothes in order to keep the fabric from making contact with your post-surgery wounds. You don’t want the cloth fusing with your wound.
Leave Valuables At Home
As a general rule, anything that you aren’t going to need right after surgery should be left at home. However, jewelry and other valuables in particular, need to be secured because you aren’t going to have any use for them and you’re most likely going to be asked to take them off. You don’t want to lose these things, do you?
Bring Necessary Documents With You
Documents like your insurance information, medicare or medicaid files, and your social security number should all be available post-surgery to ensure that you have a smooth processing of fees. This is especially important if you’re going into surgery without a trusted companion to watch over you.
The importance of preparedness cannot be overemphasized in this scenario. Not only will these tips prevent any unnecessary problems from happening, but there’s a very good reason that doctors encourage these preparations. Heed them well, dear reader.
