Elective and Emergency Surgery in Sydney
What type of conditions require urgent treatment by a General Surgeon?
Some surgical conditions need to be treated urgently. The most common conditions that require urgent treatment by a general surgeon are related to:
- Abdominal pain, often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
- Bleeding from the digestive tract. This could involve the vomiting of blood (fresh blood, or “old” blood, with the appearance of “coffee granules”). It could also involve rectal bleeding (fresh blood, or the passing of black, tarry stools).
- Soft tissue infections. These usually present with a painful, red, swollen area on the body, and may be accompanied by fever.
What do I do if I develop one of these problems?
You should seek emergency help if you are vomiting blood, or having ongoing rectal bleeding. Severe abdominal pain requires urgent evaluation, especially if its onset is within hours. Abdominal pain accompanied by loss of appetite and nausea/ vomiting is more likely to be serious.
It is critical that you seek emergency help if you have any symptoms of shock. These include:
- Dizziness or feeling faint
- Cold, clammy, pale skin (in some types of shock, skin may feel warm)
- Rapid breathing
- Racing pulse
- Reduced urine output
- Confusion
In Australia, in any emergency, it is advised that you call 000. It is appropriate that you attend an Emergency Department, rather than visit your GP, if you are unwell with the symptoms described above.
If there are no symptoms of shock, and symptoms do not include vomiting of blood or ongoing rectal bleeding, an urgent GP consultation may be appropriate.
How do I organise an urgent appointment at Sydney Surgical Clinic?
If your GP believes that you require an urgent surgical referral, he/she is welcome to call us directly to discuss your condition and to organise an urgent consultation. We are able to facilitate same-day outpatient investigations (such as blood tests, ultrasounds or CT scans), and when necessary, we will arrange a direct hospital admission.
What causes common surgical emergencies, and how are they treated?
There are many causes of abdominal pain and vomiting. Common surgical causes of abdominal pain include:
- Acute appendicitis. Surgery is required to remove the inflamed appendix.
- Bowel obstruction. This means there is a blockage in the intestine – it results in ongoing vomiting, and the inability to pass stool. Bowel obstruction requires hospital admission and urgent treatment. Surgery is required in some cases.
- Acute cholecystitis. This requires admission and urgent treatment with antibiotics. Surgery is usually required.
- Acute pancreatitis. This is a serious condition caused by inflammation of the pancreas, and requires emergency admission and treatment.
- Incarcerated hernia. This is when a hernia becomes stuck. If the blood supply to the herniated tissue is cut off, this is called strangulation, and can lead to death of intestinal tissue. Emergency surgery is required.
The source of gastrointestinal bleeding could be anywhere in the digestive tract, but is most often the stomach or duodenum (first part of the small intestine), or the large intestine.
Severe gastrointestinal bleeding could be life-threatening, and requires emergency admission. Emergency endoscopy (gastroscopy and/or colonoscopy) may be required to stop the bleeding. Specialised radiological procedures could also be used to bring an end to the bleeding, and in rare cases, open surgery may be required. Blood transfusions may be needed.
Soft tissue infections are usually caused by a bacterial infection of the skin and underlying tissues. They may require admission and intravenous antibiotics. If there is an abscess (collection of pus), it may require surgical drainage.
Urgent surgical presentations require timely evaluation and early intervention, and a delay in seeking treatment may result in complications or adverse outcomes.
