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Why Might Your Operation be Cancelled? 4/6/2015 6:45:43 AM
Both patient and surgeon factors, not to mention the anesthesiologist's opinion, may result in your surgery being delayed or cancelled. Arranging for an operation takes a lot of coordination by the surgeon's office, the hospital schedulers, and you on behalf of your personal commitments. So, if you can't make your surgery date or at the last moment decide not to turn up, you've created a real problem. Why? Because:
- a team of operating room professionals have planned their day around your operation
- someone else waiting for an operation could have been scheduled in your place
- money is wasted
So why might your surgery be cancelled?
- the most common reason is because you ate or drank something right before you came to the hospital; if you did and you don't fess up you're risking your life as you could easily aspirate (choke) on the muffin you denied eating
- you arrived late and can't be fitted into the day's schedule
- you arrived drunk or stoned
- your surgeon just finished a long tedious or emotionally taxing operation (the patient died on the table)and he or she feels they can't do you justice and ask to re-book (a good idea)
- the operating room received an extreme emergency (gunshot wound to the heart, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, etc) and there is no other room for you
- the special equipment needed for your operation is either not available, broken, or was not ordered
So do yourself and the hospital a favor and anticipate all of the above. Yes, I have patients who are called because they didn't turn up for their operation and they say they 'just didn't feel like it today'. Lots of folks want to get your surgery done safely. So do your part - arrive on time, hungry, thirsty and in a positive frame of mind!
