Outpatient Surgery Magazine

OR Excellence Awards - September 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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A hernia repair will always cause patients some level of discomfort. However, there's a big difference between an annoy- ing ache and acute pain — or worse, chronic pain — that relent- less agony patients suffer through for at least 90 days post-op. Unfortunately, far too many hernia patients walk away with the latter when it could've been prevented. To ensure your patients don't fall into that catego- ry, follow these proven strategies. 1. Set expectations Whether patients are undergoing a common and relatively straightfor- ward inguinal hernia surgery or a more complex ventral hernia pro- cedure, they're virtually guaran- teed to experience some type of pain or, at a bare minimum, signifi- cant discomfort following their procedure. During the pre-op visit, patients need to know about what they're likely to experience follow- ing their surgery and what they can do about it — as clearly and in as much detail as possible. "That's the responsibility of the surgeon," says Jeffrey B. Mazin, MD, FACS, a board- certified general surgeon at Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego. "For instance, 14% to 34% of patients will experience chronic pain syndrome following their surgery. They need to know that it can happen." 2. Consider underlying issues The pre-op visit is also critical because it allows sur- geons to assess patients as thoroughly as possible for underlying issues that might increase the likeli- hood of a painful recovery. The biggest issue? The amount of pain the patient is in just prior to the sur- gical intervention. "Studies have shown patients who have pain issues prior to inguinal hernia repair will have pain issues postoperatively," says Guy Voeller, MD, FACS, a general surgeon and professor 5 8 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 Jared Bilski | Managing Editor Preventing Post-Op Hernia Pain Is Paramount Patient expectations and surgeon technique go hand in hand in achieving successful outcomes. ATTENTION TO DETAIL Hernia repairs are meticulous procedures that require surgeons to carefully place mesh around several sensory nerves. Shirin Towfigh, MD, FACS

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