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IS THERE A GUARANTEE OF SURGERY?
Turkey Medicals member Medical Park Antalya Hospital Aesthetic, Surgery Specialist Op. Dr., “There is a fatal question that our patients often ask: “Is there a guarantee for this surgery? Do you offer a guarantee?”
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I am trying to explain to patients who ask this question that there can be no guarantees in medicine, and if they insist, I recommend that they contact another surgeon; because the patient who wants a guarantee is not a realistic patient; his expectations are also unrealistic. It is “guaranteed” that the surgery will be unsatisfied at the end (I made a joke of the word!).
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Sometimes, the patient who I told that there is no guarantee in medicine thinks that he has found my deficit and immediately deals the fatal blow: “You are guaranteed to get the surgery fee, but right!”
I think, “Dude, you caught me bad.. I give up.. Yes, these doctors are all money-grubbers!” he’s waiting for me to say.. It is best that I explain the “guarantee” issue in detail here, and I will send a link to this article directly to patients who want a guarantee from me in the future, so that they can read it. I get rid of telling each guarantee person separately (I will touch on the money issue at the end of the article).
Again, let me explain it item by item like in my other articles, so that it is easy to read…
There is such a thing as a “complication” in this world we live in. What is the complication? These are undesirable conditions that occur as a result of surgeries. For example, infection, opening of stitches, bad stitch marks (everyone’s body is different, scars remain bad in some patients).. Let’s be realistic. When there is an event called “complication” in this world, you cannot give a “guarantee” for the outcome of surgeries at the same time. Let it be both “white” and “black”, no!. Patients admit that they know that there are possibilities of such complications in the consent document they signed before surgery, that they were informed about this, and that they underwent surgery at the risk of these risks. Let it not be misunderstood, consent forms definitely do not relieve doctors of any responsibility, they are only a document that they inform patients about complications and that the patient accepts the possibilities of these complications. If a complication develops in the patient, the surgeon’s task is to correct things by intervening in this complication. The fact that patients ask for guarantees, and even some surgeons give guarantees about operations, does not change anything. So, you see, you’re only fooling yourself by asking for a guarantee. No honest surgeon gives guarantees, tells you that there can be no guarantees in medicine.. In addition, it is ridiculous for patients to both sign the mandatory consent document and accept the risks of complications and ask for guarantees. The patient who wants a guarantee does not accept the risk of complications anyway, which is unrealistic. So don’t kid yourself.. The risks of complications are a fact of life.
On the other hand, there is also an aspect of asking for a guarantee from a doctor, such as “leaving all the responsibility completely to the doctor”. Every surgery requires a responsibility. If a patient wants to undergo surgery, he should share the responsibility for this with his surgeon. So to speak, he should shoulder the burden of the operation together with his surgeon. Just as the surgeon has obligations that he must fulfill, the patient also has obligations that he must assume. Most simply, in surgeries with long incisions and more stitches (breast reduction, tummy tuck), the patient should not smoke. Smoking impairs wound healing, interrupts the boiling of stitches. There may be non-boiling, opening at the seams due to smoking. Asking for guarantees in surgeries is nothing more than ignoring the patient’s responsibilities and placing all the responsibility on the doctor. Moreover, it is unrealistic to ignore all the personal characteristics of the patient, such as wound healing potential, genetic characteristics, to assign all the responsibility to the doctor as if the patient’s body is perfect and to want guaranteed results. Don’t kid yourself.
Speaking of body or something, we should also remember that each patient has a different body. While the stitches heal very well in some, the wound healing is not very good in others. What does this mean: surgery scars left on everyone are different. Some of them have a very thin, vague mark, while others have a distinct mark. This is just a small example. Patients are not one type, their metabolisms are the same, they are not copy organisms; everyone’s body is different. Therefore, there is no “guarantee” that the same result will be obtained in every patient!..
An article I read in an anesthesia magazine years ago taught me that surgery is a profession full of surprises. It is impossible to give guarantees in a profession that is pregnant with such surprises. A patient is being taken to the operating room to be operated on. There is nothing wrong with the blood tests that have been performed. The vascular path is opened to give anesthesia, and the patient immediately goes into shock!. Look, this is a very serious surprise! Is there any guarantee that it won’t happen? No way! But what is important here is the ability of the doctors in charge of the patient to intervene in the incident.. Anesthesiologists immediately understand what is happening and make the necessary intervention to the patient. The reason why the patient goes into shock as soon as the vascular path is opened is “latex allergy”!. If you think about forty years, it does not come to mind. An allergy that may be one in a billion.. The vascular tract, which is opened to connect serum to the patient, is opened with a plastic needle called an angiocet. Since the patient is allergic to this plastic, he goes into shock as soon as the angioket enters his vein. The patient is being saved by emergency intervention. According to the article, the surgery is performed later on another date without using latex at all (without using plastic angiocet, plastic injector, plastic gloves). This may be a very extreme example, but it’s an example that surgery is a business full of surprises. You can’t give guarantees in a profession full of such surprises; it wouldn’t be realistic at all. The important thing is that you are able to cope with surprises (complications) that may happen. During our specialized training, we also learn about these possible problems and how to deal with them. The realistic thing is not to give guarantees, but to honestly tell the patient about possible complications and explain that if any problems develop, you can cope with it.
What patients should do is not to ask for guarantees. It is to learn the risks of surgery in detail from your doctor and find out what can be done if there are any problems, if the result of the surgery is not as desired. It is to follow the recommendations of your doctor before and after surgery. To go to the controls on the recommended dates. If he experiences a problem in the future, inform his doctor about it immediately.
As for the money issue, there is one thing that patients do not know. The moment a surgeon enters into surgery, he is under a lot of paying obligations. He is instantly indebted to a lot of places. Operating room rent, nurse, staff fees, material and pharmaceutical expenses, taxes are written directly to the surgeon’s debt household as soon as the operation begins. Therefore, the initiation of surgery requires a certain pay immediately. These payments are “guaranteed”. For this reason, surgery fees are usually charged before the operation. This has nothing to do with being a money-grubber or anything.. Finally, not all of the surgery fee is left to your surgeon, you should know this. After expenses, employee salaries, taxes, even expenses such as clinic electricity, water, rent, etc. are deducted, whatever is left remains to your surgeon.
Stay with love.
Op. Dr.
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Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.
Physician's Resume:
Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.
Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.
In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.
Awards:
Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.
Certificates:
Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .
Professional Members:
American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.
Disclaimer:
Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.