If you or a member of your family is unfortunate enoughz to have a spinal condition that requires surgery, you may have many questions or confusion that need to be answered. We have prepared this guide to answer your or your family’s questions one way or another. In this article, we will explain the routine surgical treatment of spinal deformities, tell you what you should do to prepare for surgery and what rehabilitation you will need afterwards.
The orthopedic surgeons and nurses at the hospital where you live will always be available to answer your questions and help you understand the particular type of surgery. Every patient’s surgery is unique. Remember, no question is an easy question that doesn’t have to be answered. We will all take every inquiry from you or your family seriously.
Pre-hospitalization Preparation
You may need someone to care for you in your daily life after surgery, so you should plan for your return home before you prepare for surgery. Talk with your family and arrange for one of your parents or a relative to help you in the weeks following surgery. If the surgery is scheduled during a study period, ask your doctor in charge how much time off you will need to take. Before coming to the hospital, you or your family must go to school and ask your teacher to make arrangements for you to study after you are discharged.
If it is necessary to arrange for a relative to care for you during the operation. The hospital allows one family member to accompany each patient during surgery. You will need his or her help for the initial period after your surgery. However, it is not necessary for too many family members to come. This can interfere with your rest and the rest of your room and increase the chance of infection.
Before you go into the hospital, prepare your necessities, including: soft underwear, a loose and comfortable change of clothes, towels, soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, and a radio with headphones if you are able (music helps you relax). However, you do not need to bring large or expensive items.
Take care of your health and remember not to catch a cold, diarrhea, fever, etc., as these illnesses may increase the chance of infection or increase the risk of surgery to the point of postponing it. There is no need to intentionally consume high-fat, high-protein foods for the surgery; maintaining a better lifestyle and diet is a must.
Aspirin, warfarin, and some non-steroidal drugs may increase bleeding during surgery. Many headaches, back and leg pain, heart disease, etc. require these medications; talk to your doctor and ask if you need to continue taking them. If you need to stop taking the medication do you need to change to another medication, etc.
If you are in the habit of taking supplements, such as American ginseng, ginseng, red dates, etc., please stop taking them for a while. These items all contain some pharmaceutical ingredients that may affect the effect of anesthesia or cause increased bleeding during surgery.
After surgery you will be lying flat on your back for a period of time and will not be able to get out of bed. So please exercise your daily life such as urination and defecation in bed before surgery.
Post-hospitalization examination.
Before spine surgery, including X-ray, CT and MRI of the spine is necessary. In addition, for the safety of the surgery, we must do relevant tests for you. These include: routine blood work, coagulation, liver and kidney function, blood sugar, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, RPR, chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound, and electrocardiogram. These tests on the one hand help to understand whether your physical condition such as cardiopulmonary function is suitable for surgery, and help to evaluate your ability to tolerate and risk of surgery; on the other hand, they can discover some of your usual potential diseases and target further examinations. If you have heart disease, advanced age, etc., we may also do heart ultrasound, lung function and other tests. Of course all these tests require your cooperation, please wait patiently and we will make the appropriate arrangements.
Pre-surgery signature.
We fully ensure your or your family’s right to know. We will patiently explain to you or your representative about your related treatment. This includes some of your traumatic tests, treatment options, surgical procedures, whether you need blood transfusion, etc. We will take the most appropriate treatment plan according to your specific condition, discuss with you and your family, and seek your or your representative’s consent for implementation. Please sign the appropriate documents after you or your representative has considered and agreed.
Pre-surgery preparation.
If you are going to undergo surgery, we will notify you and your family in advance so that you can make the relevant preparations. In order to better perform the surgery, we may need to prepare as follows.
1. Skin test: The surgery requires anesthesia and related anti-infection treatment, so anesthetic medications and antibiotics are skin tested to rule out whether you are allergic to these medications.
2. Blood preparation: There may be bleeding during the surgery. Of course, our surgeons will be careful to minimize blood loss. However, surgery is an invasive treatment and the possibility of heavy bleeding is bound to exist. If there is a lot of bleeding, it may be life-threatening. That is why blood is prepared to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Because blood transfusions can have certain complications, our doctor will talk to you or your representative about them in detail. Please understand the importance and necessity of blood preparation and transfusion.
3. Gastrointestinal preparation: Anesthesia may cause you to vomit and have gastrointestinal disorders. To prevent you from choking on vomit or pneumonia, you must strictly abstain from food and water for at least eight hours prior to spine surgery.
4. Skin preparation: In order to have a clean surgical incision, we need to provide the appropriate hygienic care and skin preparation for the surgical area. We ask for your cooperation.
5.Sleep and sedation: Please keep your mood happy and relaxed before the surgery. Pay attention to a good sleep and better mood. You may have some fears about the surgery, but please relax, we have prepared enough for the surgery. If sleep is poor, we may use a small amount of sedative-hypnotic medication to help you.