48 secrets surgeons won’t tell you

“Start applying daily as soon as your wound has healed, and avoid sunlight or use a sunscreen with zinc oxide for at least six months after surgery.” —Andrew Ordon, MD

“That’s just as, if not more, important.” – Andrew Ordon, MD

“Give yourself time to heal. If you don’t, you can cause complications and prolong your recovery.” – Andrew Ordon, MD

“If you’re not having a heart attack or an unstable angina, you will do equally well with a stent or medicine, studies show. Having something permanently implanted in your body is not a risk-free proposition. There is evidence that thousands of people have had stents they likely did not need.” – Marc Gillinov, MD

“You’ll get doctors involved with the latest in medicine. Even for simple cases, if there’s a complication that requires an assist device or a heart transplant, some hospitals may not be able to do it. At a university hospital, you also have the advantage of having a resident or physician bedside 24-7, with a surgeon on call always available.” – Tomas A. Salerno, MD

“Just because you have a blockage in an artery doesn’t mean you need it fixed, especially if you don’t have symptoms.” – Marc Gillinov, MD

“It’s the big black cloud hanging over us, and it permeates a lot of the things we do: the tests we run, the labs we order to make sure we’re not missing something. I’m guilty of that.” – Paul Ruggieri, MD

“Why? If you let the patient leave the hospital and something adverse occurs, someone may raise the question ‘Why wasn’t the operation performed right away?’” – Tomas A. Salerno, MD.

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Source: RD.com