1.Do I need to be hospitalized for the surgery?
Minimally invasive laparoscopic cholecystectomy requires hospitalization. The surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia. A thorough physical examination and laboratory tests are required for 1 to 2 days prior to surgery. When the patient’s condition is estimated to be able to tolerate general anesthesia, the procedure can be performed. This method has the feature of quick recovery with little trauma, so usually the patient can be discharged from the hospital in 2 to 3 days after the surgery.
2. Why is minimally invasive laparoscopic cholecystectomy better than traditional open surgery?
In adults, the prevalence of cholelithiasis is around 4% to 10%. The traditional cesarean cholecystectomy has been plaguing physicians and patients with problems such as painful postoperative wounds, indecent scars, long hospitalization days and slow postoperative recovery. Percutaneous hepatic drainage, lithotripsy and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy have been tried to treat gallstone patients since the middle of this century, however, the chance of recurrence of gallstones is as high as 61%, which cannot meet the principle of cost-effective treatment. Since the development of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, this procedure is rapidly gaining acceptance among surgeons and patients. This surgery is not only a cost-effective and safe way to treat gallbladder stones because of its mild postoperative wound pain, beautiful scar, shortened hospitalization days, rapid patient recovery, increased social productivity, and increased hospital bed utilization.
3.What should I pay attention to before surgery?
In the period before hospitalization, it is best to avoid eating too much greasy food, and eat more nutritious high protein, vitamins and other healthy food, so that the body conditions reach a better state. Before the surgery after hospitalization, mainly light and easy to digest diet, avoid eating too cold, too hot or stimulating food.
4.What tests are needed before the surgery?
For the safety of the surgery, the following tests will be arranged, including
Routine laboratory tests of blood, urine and stool
Biochemical tests such as liver and kidney function and blood glucose
Hemorrhage and clotting time tests
Chest and abdomen X-ray
Electrocardiogram
Ultrasound of abdomen
5.Why do these tests need to be done?
After hospitalization, the whole body examination is usually required, including: blood routine, blood biochemical index, stool routine, urine routine, abdominal ultrasound, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram and other examinations. The purpose of these tests is to understand the patient’s physical condition and to assess the patient’s physical condition in order to determine whether the patient meets the criteria for surgery and to ensure maximum patient safety before and after surgery.
6.How do I communicate with my supervising physician?
After a patient is admitted to the hospital, a team of doctors of all levels is usually in charge of the patient’s treatment during the hospitalization. The team usually consists of one chief physician, one to two attending physicians, and two to four residents. Patients or family members can consult with the chief physician or attending physician for information about treatment and the patient’s condition during the hospital stay. Daily medical operations or general medical problems can be consulted with the resident.
7.What does the doctor in charge mean when he/she says that a consultation is needed?
After a patient has been hospitalized for various tests and reports, the doctor will give the appropriate treatment and management based on the patient’s condition and the test reports. The current physician’s law requires that clinicians must consult in a legally permitted medical institution for the treatment of diseases related to their specialty. If the patient has a comorbid condition, he or she will need the assistance of the relevant department to treat the condition. This will require a consultation with the relevant department.
8.How do I communicate with the nurses?
Patients and their families have the most contact with nurses after entering the hospital, so learning to establish a good relationship with nurses is beneficial to patient treatment and care. The current nursing model in formal medical institutions is also evolving. Each patient usually has his or her own nurse in charge of daily care. If you have questions about nursing care during your hospital stay, you can consult with your charge nurse. A nurse’s workplace is usually called a nurse’s station or nursing station.
9.What is a “doctor’s order”?
A “doctor’s order” is a “doctor’s order” given by a doctor after examining a patient and analyzing his or her condition. It is the treatment or care plan for the patient’s condition. For some medical orders that need to be carried out by nurses, nurses will carry out the corresponding operations within a certain period of time after receiving the medical orders; for some medical orders carried out by doctors, such as surgery or puncture operations, doctors will carry out the corresponding operations.
10.What kind of anesthesia method is needed?
Minimally invasive laparoscopic cholecystectomy is usually performed under general anesthesia.
11.How to eliminate the nervousness?
Patients are usually nervous after hospitalization. This nervousness peaks the night before surgery. This nervousness can affect the patient’s sleep and mental state, which in turn affects the outcome of treatment. You can eliminate your nervousness by reading the newspaper, talking to patients who have already undergone surgery, and consulting with the nurse or physician in charge to get a thorough understanding of the surgical treatment. All of these methods can relieve the fear of surgery. It is also very important to get a good night’s sleep. If you are unable to sleep because of nervousness, you can use a small amount of sedative medication before going to bed to help you fall asleep.
12.What should I eat the day before the surgery?
The day before surgery, try to eat easy-to-digest semi-liquid food, such as thin rice and noodle soup. This will reduce the burden on the intestines and the intestinal function will recover faster after surgery. It is best to eat liquid food for dinner before surgery, and to stop eating food and drinking water after sleep. This is because if there is still food in the stomach at the time of surgery, it may cause reflux and aspiration pneumonia.
13.Do I need to have a gastric tube and a urinary catheter?
Minimally invasive laparoscopic cholecystectomy usually takes about 30min to 60min. Because of the short operation time, a urinary catheter is not needed and the patient can defecate on his own after the operation when he regains consciousness. Because this minimally invasive surgical approach can be followed by resumption of oral feeding the next day, there is no need for prolonged fasting or gastrointestinal decompression with a gastric tube.
14.What does the patient need to do the day before the surgery?
The patient needs to do some preoperative preparation before surgery, which generally includes: skin preparation (skin preparation), local skin cleansing, taking laxative medication to evacuate the accumulated stool, and some patients with heavy inflammation need intravenous fluids for anti-inflammatory treatment. In addition, the doctor in charge will introduce to the patient and family in detail the next surgical treatment plan and some potential risks that may occur, and obtain the consent of the patient and family.
15.What do the family members need to do the day before the surgery?
Before the surgery, the doctor in charge will give a detailed introduction to the patient and the family about the next surgical treatment plan and some potential risks that may occur, and obtain the consent of the patient and the family. In addition, given the current medical insurance system in China, patients are required to pay a deposit during their hospitalization, so it is important to prepare a certain amount of money to avoid affecting the treatment.