Preparation for Surgery by Emmanuel Mbaka-The African Perfusionist

carinandersen
5 hours ago
2 min read

Unlike emergency aortic dissection surgery, most surgeries are elective.

Today, we are starting a series: Inside Aortic Surgery written by Emmanuel Mbaka, "The African Perfusionist"

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆

When you are told that you need aortic surgery, your mind can immediately jump to the operating room.

You may start imagining the surgeon, the anesthesia, the heart-lung machine, and everything that might happen while you are asleep.

But there is something important to remember:

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺.

Preparation begins long before that.

And as a patient, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗦𝗣 (𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻) 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄.

Before your surgery, 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 .Ask your surgical team questions. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲?

There is no such thing as a "silly" question when it comes to your health.

Write your questions down.

𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. Sometimes having another person listening helps because surgery can be overwhelming, and it is easy to forget information afterward.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹.

Think about your home.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀? 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻, 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀? 𝗜𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴?

And then there is the preparation that nobody can see.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

You may feel frightened.

You may feel angry.

You may feel hopeful one day and anxious the next.

All of those feelings are understandable.

You don't have to pretend that you're not afraid.

Ask questions. Talk to your healthcare team. Talk to your family. Find support from people who understand what you're going through.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.

Your surgical team has a role to play.

And so do you.