What if a surgeon runs into a problem they can't fix

[Hemichordate]

If a surgery attending is not very well trained, or is incompetent, and they're doing a surgery and run into a complication that they can't fix, what do they do?

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[Stellar Clouds]

Call a fellow attending into the room to ask for help...

 

[Smurfette]

It depends on the specific scenario---call for back up, close the patient and do no more harm, choose an alternate or palliative approach are all options in a general sense.

Bear in mind that some problems (including complications) HAVE no good fix, and poor training or incompetence have nothing to do with it. Every surgeon will encounter cases where there is no way to fix the problem. Sometimes this is not realized until the patient is already in the OR. In this case, you do what you can, and close the patient and discuss the situation honestly with the family and patient.

 

[basupran]

If a surgery attending is not very well trained, or is incompetent, and they're doing a surgery and run into a complication that they can't fix, what do they do?

Can you give more details on the complication?

 

[shadowfox87]

I think you're asking because you are maybe considering surgery. I've had cases where intraoperatively, the surgeon ran into complications that required assistance. As the above responses have mentioned, one calls for help. In emergent situations though, assistance is not always in the same building. In that case, you call whoever is on-call.

 

[VisionaryTics]

Incision infections, sometimes serious, can occasionally occur following bariatric surgery.

Minimally invasive (laparoscopic) bariatric surgery reduces the chance of incision infection.

Strong contribution, thank you.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Incision infections, sometimes serious, can occasionally occur following bariatric surgery.

Minimally invasive (laparoscopic) bariatric surgery reduces the chance of incision infection.

sounds like bariatric surgery is srs bizness

 

[MrBigglesworth]

delete

 

[NickNaylor]

sounds like bariatric surgery is srs bizness

Sent from my SGH-M919

 

[Stellar Clouds]

They call me

"I can't figure out what's going on..quick, call the medical student," said no one, ever.

 

[VisionaryTics]

"I can't figure out what's going on..quick, call the medical student," said no one, ever.

No, they call Ja.

HELP ME, JA RULE!

(dirty language below)

[YOUTUBE]Mo-ddYhXAZc[/YOUTUBE]

 

[VivaLaVida]

They usually call in anther doctor to help. For example I was on colorectal surgery and we were called into a gyn surgery because the gynecologist nicked the bowel so we came in and repaired it.

 

[Shjanzey]

No, they call Ja.

HELP ME, JA RULE!

This generates a possibly interesting line of Pimp questions.

Attending: Can you tell me what Ja Rule would do in this situation?

 

[Kaustikos]

If a surgery attending is not very well trained, or is incompetent, and they're doing a surgery and run into a complication that they can't fix, what do they do?

Get ready for another hit on their malpractice rates



Srs - There's always someone SOMEWHERE to help them if they need it. The OR floors I've been to have 20 different ORs with 10293810283 surgeons on there doing 102938120938 things. Someone's there.


Not to forget the nurses/residents/interns that are also there. The surgeon is never alone.

 

[D elegans]

Transfer to medicine service

 

[mestielest]

First choice is calling a senior surgeon and the most sensible one.
If there is no experienced surgeon out there call someone and ask him/her to help you. Depending on the nature of the situation consultating an another clinic would be necessary(for example ob-gyn cutting an ureter and calling uro or uro calling GS for rectal injury while uro hadnt have enough experience). In surgery, sometimes an another hand is magical no matter he/she is better or worse than you, you need a "different" and "fresh" view sometimes. So in acute complications like massive bleeding during surgery(such as bleeding from DVC in RRP or retroperitoneal bleeding during nephrectomy etc.) or inadvertent organ injuries surgeons call an another one and than they make everything they can do for patient. After everything is ok surgeon finish the case immediately.
In less life threating complications(for example bladder perforation during tur-bt) there are some recommendations available and one can take the care of patient with the defined approach and sometimes get help from another specialist.

 

[tiedyeddog]

We actually had this occur the other day on the ob/GYN service. A lady was 1 day postop from an emergency c section and had developed a hematoma while her hgb dropped below seven. The ob service took her back because they did the c section but couldnt find the bleeder after three hours of trying so they called one of the GYN oncology attendings to help, because presumably they are more used to dealing with this stuff. The GYN onc surgeon scrubbed in and helped out.