Complications
For most procedures, complications occur in 5-12%. These are usually minor and don’t need additional surgery. A good understanding and trust are the most important means to reduce the risk of an adverse outcome, and deal with any problems that do arise.
We’re committed to working closely with you to deal with any complications that arise, since a satisfied patient is our ultimate assessment of a successful surgery.
Complications can be divided according to:
Timing: Immediate (within hours of surgery); Early (few days post-surgery); Late (months / years)
General or specific (to your operation)
Minor or major (requires significant intervention)
General complications:
Wound bleeding (occasionally needs surgical intervention)
Infection (usually settles with antibiotics, may rarely be life threatening)
Wound breakdown and delayed healing (normal healing is 2-4 weeks)
Hypertrophy (reactive) scars that take longer to settle (-5% incidence)
Recurrence (inevitable sometimes or sure to new factors)
Under / overcorrection (subjective; patient’s / surgeon’s judgement)
Numbness and altered sensation around / beyond surgical scar is common
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE) are fortunately rare and more common with longer operations and immobility; we take precautions to reduce these risks.
Anaesthetic complications will usually be discussed by the Anaesthetist
Other factors that influence outcome:
Effective communication involves a surgeon giving adequate levels of information, to an understanding patient who’s asking the right questions.
Healthier patients with a normal weight will often achieve better outcomes.
The complications and consent process is never exhaustive - it’s impossible to truly know all possible complications in a given patient.
Scar quality is highly dependent on the part of the body, individual family, racial healing differences and time to final wound healing.
Smoking and some pre-existing medical problems generally increase complication rates, particularly wound healing and infections.
DISCLAIMER:
This website is designed to supply useful information, and isn’t to be regarded as advice specific to any particular case. The information contained is by no means exhaustive and it doesn’t replace the need for a thorough consultation. Restore Surgery accepts no liability for any decision taken by the reader in respect of the treatment they decide to undertake.