Best Day of the Week for Surgery

[ALCapshaw2]

My friend did research on his surgeon and found that Tuesday PM was the best as far as stats were concerned. I wondered if the PM surgery was less complicated to allow for the fatigue factor...thus the stats would be skewed as the outcome would be a result of the less complicated procedures and healthier patients.....just a thought. I'm still waiting for a date and would prefer Tuesday....we'll see.

I'm sure many of us would like to know...

HOW did your friend get the stats on his surgeon?

'AL Capshaw'

 

[Freddie]

I had mine on Friday just after lunch - 1:30 and out by 5:00, so my surgeon was still able to be home for supper

 

[Taysgrama]

I had mine on Thursday and was fine with that. First surgery of the day so that was a really good thing, as far as I as concerned. My surgeon and his partner were in 2-3 times on Friday and 2 times on Saturday and Sunday, so I did not have to worry about that. Came home the following Thursday and had no issues over the first weekend. But, since I was in Dayton Heart Hospital (they deal with ONLY heart patients), there was not a step down unit, every patient had their own ICU room that we stayed in the entire time we were there, unless you had other issues or they needed the ICU room for another patient. Most of us never went to another room our entire stay, so that was really nice. Our nurses worked 12 hour shifts and I had the same set of nurses (a total of 4), the entire time I stayed there. My girlfriend had OHS in October 2008 and she also stayed in the same room (at a different hospital) her entire stay, 15 days due to other issues including having to have her gallbladder out the day after she was supposed to go home!

 

[Nancy]

Try to avoid anything close to a weekend or holiday. The hospitals are understaffed, your surgeon is more likely to take off right after your surgery for a trip or something, and also there are many fill in nurses on those days.

 

[ccummins]

Ya know, sometimes this forum is just no good for me! I'm scheduled on a Monday which I was excited about ... surgeon there all week. Hadn't even thought about weekend and festivities the staff may have. Mine is March 16. Day before St Patty's Day, but everyone knows that you celebrate it the weekend before. Ugh. I'm signing off.

 

[Lynlw]

Ya know, sometimes this forum is just no good for me! I'm scheduled on a Monday which I was excited about ... surgeon there all week. Hadn't even thought about weekend and festivities the staff may have. Mine is March 16. Day before St Patty's Day, but everyone knows that you celebrate it the weekend before. Ugh. I'm signing off.

I wouldn't worry about St Patty's Day. The holidays I think about are ones when alot of staff is off.

 

[aussiemember]

Well, my surgery is on a Tuesday and is the first one scheduled for the day so that is all good

BTW: I totally agree with those saying not to get anything done before a holiday. I had an angiogram a year ago on the day before Melbourne Cup Day and it was chaos as they were trying to rush all the emergencies through as well. It was scheduled for 1pm and didn't get done till 8.30pm and the staff looked so tired I nearly ran for it

 

[ponytaila1a]

I'm sure many of us would like to know...

HOW did your friend get the stats on his surgeon?

'AL Capshaw'

He did not give me the details. He (my friend) is quite wealthy and owns a franchise for temp services. Somehow he learned that a guy was working for him (at a client site) who was studying medicine. He hired the guy at $15 per hour to do all of the research. The surgeon who was doing the surgery does not usually meet with patients other than the day before surgery. My friend offered to pay whatever he wanted for an appointment and the surgeon agreed (all according to my friend) When he pulled out the stats the surgeon was shocked and said he would schedule him for the PM on Tuesday. All hear-say...but the story fits with my friend's personality, I believe him.

 

[njean]

which day would be ideal?

Saturday or Sunday!!!

 

[njean]

Seriously, I wish you the best whichever day you choose to have your surgery!

 

[TakeStock]

Thanks Norma, and everyone else for their feedback. I?m probably aiming for Wednesday if I stick with my surgeon, since he does rounds on Tuesday.

I had my angiogram, a right and left cath, today. It went well ? completely painless procedure ? and the results showed my arteries were clear and my pulmonary pressure (they go through the vein for the right cath) was normal. So I have a little time as all my tests show my heart is still doing very well. I still plan to get the MVR in a few weeks, but I got a recommendation from a couple nurses for a well-regarded valve specialist who operates from the same hospital as my other surgeon. I?ll talk to him first about his thoughts on repair vs. replacement for my valve, and go from there.

 

[KC-Steve]

I had mine on Friday just after lunch - 1:30 and out by 5:00, so my surgeon was still able to be home for supper

Mine will also be on Fri. and the thinking was, that I am single, and a friend is going to take a week's vacation to stay with me after surgery, so now that makes at least 9 days possible together, to get me through this process. I also think it may help with the first few days, the hospital not being that "busy" right after my surgery with "other" workers in and around the hospital disturbing the enviroment, if you know what I mean.

I am in the hosp. construction industry...I know the weekends are pretty calm.

Steve

 

[JeffM]

i'm scheduled for a friday... teaching hospital so it doesn't really matter much.... but to me i would pick the absolute closest day to now.... this waiting has really sucked!

That was my attitude. I went in on Fri for surgery because it was the earliest day I could get. I was worried enough beforehand; I'm glad I didn't see this thread .

 

[Riversiderob]

I want mine to be early Monday morning that way I have at least half that day plus fours days and out on friday do not want to stay over the weekend.
Robert

 

[Bryan B]

I had my surgery on Wednesday...March 17th...St. Patrick's day. So far it's worked out pretty well. My personal opinion would be to have it on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday so that if everything goes smoothly you are out of ICU before the weekend starts. There is no scientific logic to my opinion but that would be my personal preference. I had my surgery on Wednesday morning, was moved from ICU to the step down unit on Thursday morning, and went home on Sunday morning. Plus it's easy to remember the anniversary of my valve replacement because it will always fall on St. Patrick's day.

 

[tex]

Hi, mine was a monday, i went in on sunday which was a waste of time, i waited 6 hours for a bed,because there was only emergency doctors on who where busy and they had to be the ones to discharge people on the ward so i couldnt have a bed till they came on to the ward. I didnt see anybody apart from the nurses who went through things with me. I was woken at 4am on the monday morning to met the Anaesthetist, which if i had gone in later in the week he would of come and see me during the day, i went down for my operation at 7.30am been woken at that time and waiting to go down for my operation was the longest three and half hours of my life been woken up so early, i think people are right on here Tuesday or wednesday when you doctors etc are there, good luck with your operation, thinking about you, take care Jane

 

[Ross]

Though some of you are scheduled for Friday, never Friday or weekends or before or after holidays. You just won't find enough staff around to really care for you during these times.

The heck of it is, some surgeons only operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, some Monday Wednesday Friday. Just depends on who and where.