Preparing for your Surgery Day
- Preparing for your Clinic Visit
- Preparing for your Surgery Day
- Procedures
- What to Expect After Surgery
- Follow Up Appointments
- Support Numbers
Surgery has been chosen as the next reasonable step for your current condition. I take the surgical process very seriously and would not offer a surgical procedure unless I felt like it was the best option for you. Every effort has been made to make this event as safe and successful as possible. However, there is no guarantee that problems will not arise or that your result will be exactly as expected, or hoped for, by you or your surgeon. You should understand that there are risks involved with every surgical procedure. In addition to the general risks, there are additional rare and unusual problems that may occasionally arise. General uncommon risks associated with surgery are:
- Infection
- Nerve or blood vessel damage (temporary or permanent) that could result in numbness/weakness in your involved extremity
- Lack of improvement after the operative procedure
- Continued, or possibly worse, pain that you had prior to the surgery
- Unexpected bleeding during or after surgery
- Loss of motion in your operated joint or extremity
- Wound healing problems
- Systemic effects (other parts of the body are affected) such as blood sugar control or high blood pressure
- Blood clots in your arms and legs
- Heart attack, stroke, pneumonia, kidney failure
- Anesthetic related problems
- Blood transfusion reactions or disease transmission if blood transfusion is required
- Other unforeseen risks
You should remember, however, that most of these complications are extremely rare. Your surgeon, anesthesiologist and nursing teams are trained to make your surgery as safe and effective as possible. Please ask any questions you may have, no matter how unimportant or insignificant they may seem. You should feel comfortable with your level of understanding regarding your upcoming surgery.
Sincerely,
Stephen K. Aoki, MD
Associate Professor
Pediatric and Adult Sports Medicine
Department of Orthopaedics
University of Utah
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