Case Studies...
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A Hernia Repair
A hernia repair is a routine operation that can be done in one day and does not require an overnight stay in hospital....
Acoustic Neuroma Surgery
An operation to remove an acoustic neuroma is a specialised procedure as it involves surgery inside the inner ear, and sometimes inside the skull....
Adenoids: Why Are They Removed?
Today, medical advice is to keep the adenoids and tonsils wherever possible because of their role in immunity. When they cause problems in children, an operation to remove them can still be recommende...
Adjustments to Lifestyle After Surgery
Some of the more common reasons why you might be required to make certain adjustments to your lifestyle following hospital surgery if the surgery is to prove successful and in order to make your recov...
All About Having a Gastric Band Fitted
How having a gastric band fitted is one of the alternatives to having a gastric bypass and how it’s purpose is to enable excessively overweight people to lose weight by the procedure having the effect...
All You Need to Know About Medical Consent
What is meant by medical consent or informed consent and the responsibilities of the medical profession as well as who can give consent....
Amazing Surgery Firsts
Surgical procedures have been developing from neolithic times and progress continues today to develop operations that are safer and more successful....
Blood Transfusion Facts
Blood is precious and losing it in large amounts causes serious problems. Most countries in the world have systems for collecting donated blood and have centres that carry out blood transfusions as ne...
Bone Marrow Transplantation
A basic understanding of what’s involved in bone marrow transplantation. Why it’s used and possible side effects and complications associated with the procedure....
Can Robots Perform Operations?
Robotic surgery systems are commonly used in heart operations and also in surgery to remove the prostate gland in men suspected of having prostate cancer....
Considering Surgery Abroad: What You Should Know
Important things you should know before deciding whether or not to have medical treatment or surgery abroad....
Coping After an Abortion
The range of emotions you may experience after you’ve had an abortion and the way in which no two people will experience life after abortion in exactly the same way. The importance of communicating yo...
Cryosurgery Explained
What cryosurgery is and how it works. The benefits of cryosurgery for particular types of cancers and its advantages in terms of fewer side effects as well as possible applications in the future....
Dealing With Surgical Delays
How it’s important to try to remain positive, focused and to keep looking forward if your hospital surgery is delayed. Some of the emotions you may feel and how you should go and see your GP if you fe...
Dietary Adjustments After Surgery
How it’s imperative in certain circumstances and for certain conditions and surgical procedures that you make the necessary recommended dietary adjustments which your surgeon advocates and the dangers...
Difference Between a Hospital Ward and Private Room
The pros and cons of obtaining a private room in an NHS hospital over staying on an open ward. How the advantages can often outweigh the disadvantages but things to be aware of if you’re stay is likel...
Difference Between NHS and Private Hospitals
The primary reasons why people would choose to opt for private healthcare over the NHS. How the two sectors differ in terms of waiting lists and facilities as well as important considerations over eme...
Different Types of Cosmetic Surgery
The most common forms of cosmetic surgery procedures and how cosmetic surgery can fall into the categories of reconstructive surgery as well as surgery simply to enhance a person’s appearance. How the...
Eating and Drinking Before You Go Into Hospital
The reasons why you are told not to eat or drink anything for several hours prior to surgery and how it’s the effects of the anaesthetic which can cause problems if your stomach is not completely empt...
Explaining Your Hospital Stay to Young Children
How to explain to a young child that you need to go into hospital. The importance of being open and honest with them and being prepared to answer any questions they might have as well as making sure t...
Gastric Bypass Surgery Explained
How gastric bypass surgery is often considered the last resort in an effort to tackle an obesity problem. How its success will not simply be down to the surgery but a person’s own efforts to completel...
Getting Over a Miscarriage
How people will cope with miscarriage in very different ways and that there are no right or wrong ways to try to come to terms with it or the feelings you’re experiencing. How communicating your feeli...
Going to Physiotherapy After Surgery
The role of a physiotherapist and the importance of following a structured programme of physiotherapy in accordance with how it has been devised is you want to ensure that you achieve the best outcome...
Having a Breast Removed
The main different types of mastectomy. What the operation involves and advice post operation. How further treatment might also be needed ....
Having a Hip Replacement
Hip replacement has been an option for people with arthritis since the 1960s, when it was pioneered by John Charnley, a British orthopaedic surgeon....
Having a Hysterectomy
When a hysterectomy might need to be carried out and its implications. The nature of the procedure itself and how to recovery after the operation....
Having a Knee Replacement
Having a knee replacement usually involves having all of the inner surfaces of the knee joint replaced, and sometimes at the back of the joint and the knee cap as well....
Having a Limb Amputated
How amputation is a serious surgical procedure and how there are so many variables. Understanding pain management and the important roles both physical and occupational therapy play in the recovery pr...
Having a Liver Transplant
Having a liver transplant takes 10 hours and is a huge operation, but for people with liver cancer, or end stage liver disease it can mean a second chance - and their only chance of life....
Having a Vasectomy
A vasectomy procedure – what it entails and how soon you can resume normal activities after the operation. The importance of wearing a condom for sex afterwards until you’ve had tests later which have...
Having an Abortion
What abortion is and what it is used for. Different types of abortion and what the difference is between a medical and surgical abortion. What’s involved and what can happen afterwards....
Having Cataract Surgery
How it’s important to have cataracts removed as they can ultimately lead to blindness. How for the most part you can be treated as a day patient under simple local anaesthetic....
Having Your Appendix Removed
How an appendix removal, or appendectomy, is usually one of the most straightforward surgical procedures with a quick recovery time....
Having Your Tonsils Removed
Why it’s only children who need their tonsils removing. When that is necessary and the different types of surgical procedures that can be used. How recovery should be managed and how quickly a child s...
Heart Operations
Some of the most common types of heart surgery and why it might be needed. The importance of looking after your heart in terms of what you eat, drink, the exercise you take and your overall lifestyle ...
Heart Valve Replacement
Heart valve replacement is a major operation; all of the major valves of the heart can be replaced by biological heart valves or mechanical valves....
Hip Replacement Surgery
How hip replacement surgery can dramatically improve the mobility and quality of a person’s life where they have previously been in pain and restricted by arthritis in their hip joint. What the surger...
Hormone Therapy for Cancer Treatment
How hormone therapy aims to affect the ability of a person’s hormones to interact with cancerous cells and some of the more common cancers it is used as a treatment option. Side effects and other uses...
Hospital Parking Charges
Parking in NHS hospitals was introduced quite a few years ago but since 2005, the parking policies of many hospital car parks have become more draconian....
How Anaesthetic Works
The various types of anaesthetic which are used during surgery. How anaesthetic works and how the role of the anaesthetist is a highly skilled and delicate one....
How Can an Operation Cure Excessive Sweating?
Excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, is a rare but distressing condition in which the body produces far too much sweat. Surgical treatments are available but need to be considered carefully as they d...
How Sedation Works
A sedative is a drug that is used during an unpleasant medical procedure such as a tooth extraction or endoscopy; it doesn’t prevent the sensation of pain but it reduces anxiety and prevents memories ...
How Successful Are Heart-Lung Transplants?
Success rates for heart and lung transplants continue to improve and 73% of people who now have a heart and lung transplant are likely to survive for at least one year....
How to Pass the Time in Hospital as a Patient
How to pass the time in hospital and avoid boredom. The types of things you could be doing to keep your mind occupied and why it’s useful to find out what is and isn’t permitted which may help to alle...
I Had Keyhole Surgery for Gallstones: A Case Study
Gillian, an overweight mother of six developed gallstones, which started to make her unwell when she was 38. Within a year she had keyhole surgery to remove them....
I Had My Finger Sewn Back On: A Case Study
If a finger is severed in an accident it can be attached by microsurgery but it is important to keep the finger dry and on ice and for the reattachment to take place within 12 hours for the best chanc...
I Had My Spine Fused: A Case Study
Surgery to treat back pain is still quite controversial and it is seen very much as a last resort. If tests reveal problems with specific discs, the spine can be fused in that region and this may reli...
I Needed a Triple Heart Bypass: A Case Study
In the last year, Bob has undergone a triple heart bypass operation as three of his coronary arteries were severely blocked, putting him at high risk of a heart attack....
I Needed Breast Reconstruction: A Case Study
After Hannah had successful treatment for breast cancer, including a mastectomy, she later decided that she needed to have a breast reconstruction....
Infection After an Operation
How infections can occasionally occur at the site of your surgical wound following surgery. These are commonly referred to as SSIs (surgical site infections) and can usually be cleared up with antibio...
Laser Surgery Explained
The different kinds of laser surgery available to treat cancer and the purposes of each treatment. Why it can often be the best option in some circumstances and possible side effect so it’s always bes...
Laser Surgery to Prevent Blindness
Eye diseases that affect the retina and cause abnormal growth of new blood vessels can be treated using laser surgery. This cannot bring back sight once it is lost but it can prevent blindness if used...
Lumpectomy Vs Mastectomy
The type of operation that women are advised to have depends on the stage of their breast cancer - how aggressive it is and how far it has spread. Mastectomy and lumpectomy are the main options....
Lymph Node Removal and What it Reveals
Lymph node removal is often done during an operation to remove a cancerous tumour to find out if the cancer has spread and to help cancer staging....
Microscopically Controlled Surgery
What is microscopically controlled surgery (Mohs surgery)? What the procedure involves and why it’s one of the most effective methods in the treatment of some types of skin cancer....
My Knee Replacement Went Wrong: A Case Study
Graham went into hospital for a routine knee replacement but suffered complications and it took another year for him to completely recover....
New Breast Construction Techniques
In the UK, all women undergoing surgery for breast cancer will be offered some sort of reconstruction. There are many options to consider....
New Developments in Coronary Angioplasty
Since the early days of balloon angioplasty, success rates and techniques used in coronary angioplasty have come on a long way and drug-coated stents and balloons have increased success rates....
Organ Donation: Facts and Figures
Transplant surgery has become much more common in the last 30 years, which has created the universal problem of a shortage of donated organs....
Pain Management and Control After an Operation
How you’re likely to suffer with some kind of pain and discomfort following surgery and how your surgical team will discuss this with you both before and after surgery and, alongside your feedback, th...
Pain Management in Cancer Treatment
Pain management in cancer treatment and the different types of drugs used to treat pain and the various methods for administering them. Possible side effects the importance of being honest when it com...
Planning to Visit a Loved One in Hospital
The importance of hospital visits to both patient and visitors and what to expect from a visit. How it’s important to check if you can visit outside normal hours and check what you can and cannot brin...
Preparing Mentally For a Hospital Stay
some of the various methods you might care to adopt to prepare yourself mentally for a hospital stay. How this will vary from person to person and how some people find that less information and prepar...
Preparing Physically For a Hospital Stay
A list of the things you should do prior to surgery in order that you go into hospital in the best physical shape possible. The importance of speaking to your GP or surgeon first if you are unsure abo...
Preparing to Go Home from Hospital
How you will be well advised about how to continue your recovery at home once you’ve been given permission to leave hospital. Making the necessary logistical preparations for your discharge and the im...
Preparing Your Child for Surgery
Things you can do to help prepare your child if they need to go into hospital for surgery. The importance of offering love and support and how it’s useful to take them on a hospital visit first so tha...
Questions You May Want to Ask the Surgeon
How your surgeon will be able to answer any of your questions and concerns about the surgery you may be planning to undergo. The more typical questions that get asked and how it’s important that your ...
Recovering After Surgery
How recovery post surgery is not an exact science and the extent of your recovery and the rate at which it takes place will vary from person to person based upon a number of factors. How it’s importan...
Recovering From Laser Eye Surgery
How laser eye surgery has been proven over the past 10 years or so to improve a person’s long or short-sightedness and astigmatism so that they no longer need to wear glasses or contact lenses. What t...
Repairing Torn Shoulder Ligaments
If you are unlucky enough to be involved in an accident or fall in which your shoulder ligaments are torn, this is extremely painful, and repairing the shoulder usually involves an intricate operation...
Scar Healing
How scars form part of the natural healing process when you’ve undergone surgery or suffered some kind of open wound. How keyhole surgery and other technological developments have greatly eliminated o...
Specialist Hospitals
A brief overview of some of the more typical specialist hospitals which are found in the UK and what each of them specialise in. How your GP or local NHS trust will be able to advise you on the most a...
Spinal and Epidural Anaesthesia
Anaesthesia is a very specialised area of medicine and predominantly involves the use of general, epidural or spinal anaesthesia....
Statistics on MRSA and Surgery
Since the increases in MRSA were seen throughout the 1970s and 1980s, extensive data has been collected on the number of cases of superbug infections that have been detected in UK hospitals....
Surgery for Gall Bladder Cancer
The operation involved in removing the gall bladder in cases of gall bladder cancer is a fairly major procedure that always needs a general anaesthetic and a stay in hospital....
Surgery for Gallstones
Gallstones are a common and painful problem that can really only be treated successfully by surgery to remove the gallstones and the gallbladder that contains them....
Surgery for Prostate Cancer
Surgery to remove the prostate gland involves an operation called a radical prostatectomy. This can be carried out using open abdominal surgery, or a keyhole technique....
The Importance of Remobilising After Surgery
The post-operative phase for many patients can be speeded up or made easier if the patient is very positive and tries their best to help themselves. By encouraging the person to become mobile after th...
The Intricacies of Vascular Surgery
Vascular surgery is a branch of surgery that is extremely specialised and that has only developed since the 1970s. Techniques have always been intricate, but keyhole techniques now make them even more...
The Role of a Nurse
A description of the multitude of tasks and responsibilities which make up the role of a nurse. How their importance to the medical profession can never be underestimated and how their duty of care to...
Transplants Facts and Figures
Organ transplants can save lives and help improve the quality of life for someone who is seriously ill. These major operations have become more routine over the last 30 years....
Trigeminal Neuralgia Surgery
Trigeminal neuralgia is an extremely painful illness that can be relieved by various forms of surgery, including conventional brain surgery and now stereotactic radiosurgery....
Understanding Blood Transfusions
Understanding the procedure of a blood transfusion and what’s involved. The reasons a blood transfusion might be needed and what it’s designed to achieve. The possibility of allergic reaction during t...
Varicose Vein Stripping
Varicose vein stripping is a routine procedure in which varicose veins are removed from the leg by tying them off and pulling them out. Healthy veins are encouraged to take over the blood supply....
Waiting For A Partner's Surgery To Be Completed
Things you might do whilst waiting for a partner’s surgery to be completed. How diverting your mind to other thoughts and activities, not only will this help to pass the time more quickly, it will als...
What Does a Cruciate Ligament Operation Involve?
What anterior cruciate ligament surgery involves and the importance of following your physiotherapist’s advice during the rehabilitation post surgery and how it’s important that you don’t rush back in...
What Does a Heart Transplant Involve?
What is involved in a heart transplant and how your surgeon will assess whether or not you’re a suitable candidate to receive a transplant. The risks of rejection and adapting to a change in lifestyle...
What Does A Kidney Transplant Involve?
How a person needs to be available quickly and in good general health when a matching kidney becomes available for transplant. The transplant procedure and the importance of medications to counteract ...
What Does a Liver Transplant Involve?
A liver transplant is a complex operation that takes several hours. Either a whole adult liver is transplanted into an adult patient, or part of an adult liver is transplanted into a child....
What Does Chemotherapy Involve?
What is involved in chemotherapy treatment. How it works and the various ways the drugs are administered and their possible side effects. How an oncologist will play a major role in managing your trea...
What Does Having a Miscarriage Involve?
How miscarriage is quite though often an emotionally traumatic experience to go through. How to recognise the symptoms of miscarriage and the surgical procedures that might be needed as well as coping...
What Does Radiotherapy Involve?
What radiotherapy is aimed at achieving and how it differs from chemotherapy in treating cancer. The preparation involved and the different ways that radiotherapy is carried out. Possible side effects...
What is Electrosurgery?
What electrosurgery is and how it’s most commonly used to treat various forms of skin cancer. Why the procedure is successful and what you can expect in terms of the procedure itself and the recovery ...
What is a Biopsy?
A biopsy involves taking a sample of body tissue, rather than a body fluid, and then using it to perform laboratory tests that are used to make a diagnosis....
What is a 'Pre-Med'?
How some people are given premeds (or can request them) prior to surgery. What a pre-med is and the different purposes they’re designed for. How they’re more commonly associated with sedative medicati...
What is an Intensive Care Unit for?
What an intensive care unit (ICU) comprises of and what it is intended for. The background of the ICU staff and what to expect if you are visiting a patient in an ICU and how the medical team will try...
What Is Carpal Tunnel Surgery?
Carpal tunnel surgery is an operation that becomes necessary if the transverse carpal ligament in your hand starts to press on the median nerve....
What is Keyhole Surgery?
How keyhole surgery has revolutionised many of the traditional surgical procedures that take place in hospitals. How it enables surgery to be carried out without operating internally and why it makes ...
What is Meant By 'Informed Consent'?
What is meant by informed consent and how it’s important to understand what you are legally entering into if you sign a medical consent to treatment agreement. How people can make living wills and/or ...
What is Meant by Palliative Surgery
What palliative surgery sets out to achieve and how it differs from conventional surgery. The role of palliative care and what’s involved....
What is Pre-Admission Testing in Hospital?
The types of things which are involved in a pre-admission test procedure before hospital surgery. How certain tests and reviews will be carried out and instructions will be given to you by the consult...
What Is Stereotactic Radiosurgery?
Stereotactic radio surgery has become very well accepted over the last 20 years or so as a type of radiotherapy that can be used on the most complex, inoperable tumours....
What Resources and Services to Expect in Hospital
How hospitals have been transformed over the last decade or so with the introduction of many new services and facilities aimed at making life better for both patients and visitors alike...
What to Expect from Hospital Food
How hospital food is usually far better than its perceived ‘image’ might suggest and how you’ll be able to choose from a variety of meals and snacks and also have special dietary needs catered for....
What to Pack for a Hospital Stay
The essential items to pack when you are about to go into hospital. Additional non-essential items you may wish to bring with you but the importance of checking with the hospital about any battery or ...
Who Needs Mole Removal?
Mole removal is necessary if a mole becomes cancerous. This can happen to any mole on the skin and is classed as a type of cancer known as malignant melanoma....
X-Rays - What to Expect
What to expect if you are asked to undergo an x-ray. What x-rays are used to determine and what the procedure involves as well as what you can expect to happen afterwards in terms of getting the resul...