Complications of Surgery

Complications of surgery may occur for a variety of reasons and are distressing for the surgeon, the care team and the patient. We seek to minimize the risk of complications from the moment the consultation process begins up to the point of successful discharge from post-operative outpatient review. This process begins with a thorough assessment of operative risk, which we will explain in detail with relevance to the health and lifestyle of each individual patient.

Surgical procedures carry inherent risk, and we will minimize this risk by advising on the appropriate procedure for the appropriate individual need, balanced against background health, medications and recovery time. A broad range of techniques are available to achieve individual aims, and each carries a different risk for different individuals. Sometimes surgery may not be indicated because the risk of a complication for the individual is too high, and we will be honest about this, recommending alternatives where possible, and advising on strategies for stopping smoking and improving general health and fitness pre-operatively where necessary. From the consultation process, a partnership develops between the surgeon and the patient to understand the element of risk and minimize it appropriately to keep complications at bay.

Where complications occur we will manage them to the best of our ability to achieve the optimum final result. If secondary surgery is required we will undertake it as necessary with a full explanation of aims and outcomes. We will not hesitate to refer to respected Consultant colleagues for advice where appropriate, and are ourselves often called upon in this capacity by colleagues. We undertake to see the care of our patients to the best conclusions and aim at all times for the highest standards of clinical governance.

The unfavourable aesthetic result

We aim for sympathetic, comprehensive and harmonious results from our work, and achieve this by advising appropriate procedures for appropriate patients. As a result, we develop good relationships with our patients and deliver results that we are proud of. The basis of this philosophy is the time we take in consultation to learn and understand what our patients expect from their procedures, and to explain what our advice will deliver for each individual. We illustrate our treatment plans for each new patient with evidence from our own experience, and we closely follow our results so that we continue to refine and improve our practice. This philosophy means that we understand patient expectations, and we tailor our advice to suit the expected aims where possible. If expectation is unrealistic, we will say so. We are fortunate that we develop good relationships with our patients, and have a track record of delivery of the highest patient care with the optimum aesthetic outcome.