Fayetteville Surgical Associates

The Wall Street Journal Discusses “A Secret” for Patients Considering Hernia Repair

JeffBell — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:40:53 +0000

In this article published in the Wall Street Journal, several of the common complications of hernia repair are discussed. The article is a nice review and I would like to highlight a few of the main points. First of all, whenever a patient is considering a surgical procedure, the risks and benefits must be kept in mind. An asymptomatic hernia is not likely to cause a problem in the short term, but hernias never repair themselves and can become symptomatic in the future. In fact, in a large study of patients with asymptomatic hernias, a significant proportion of patients that were randomly assigned to not have surgery asked to have their hernias repaired because of worsening symptoms. If the hernia is symptomatic, there is an increased chance that the hernia will become “stuck out” or incarcerated. This can leave strangulate the organs in the hernia and can be life threatening. The main complications of inguinal hernia repair include bleeding, infection, scarring, hernia recurrence, damage to the tubes attached to the testicle, and chronic pain. The most common complication is hernia recurrence. There is no way to eliminate the risk of chronic pain, but there are techniques that can reduce its incidence. The use of lightweight meshes can cause less scarring, incorporate better into the abdominal wall, and provide more natural compliance of the muscles and connective tissue around the repair. Absorbable tacks can be used with laparoscopic repairs and will dissolve with time which can decrease persistent nerve irritation. Both the laparoscopic and open approach have their own advantages and I try to help patients choose the procedure that is best tailored to them. I have taken several hernia repair courses from Dr. Heniford who was interviewed for the article. I have incorporated many of his techniques in my practice and plan on using the Carolinas Comfort Scale when it is released.

Beware of Buckyballs

JeffBell — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:47:44 +0000

I was recently interviewed for a story run on a local TV station about a patient that swallowed several rare earth magnets called “Buckyballs”. I removed themwith a combination of endoscopic and laparoscopic techniques. The article speaks for itself, but I would again warn parents that these toys can be quite dangerous.

Safer Surgery Today, Better Surgery Tomorrow

JeffBell — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:47:06 +0000

In this video, produced by the American College of Surgeons, Nathaniel Soper explains that the mission statement of his department is to provide care that is safe, but always improving. It reminded me that I should be expert in the state of the art , but also vigilant for techniques, technologies, and decision making processes that improve the outcomes of my surgical patients. I second “Safer Surgery Today, Better Surgery Tomorrow.”

Welcome to the FSA patient Education Blog

JeffBell — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:09:35 +0000

Thank you for visiting our website and learning more about the surgical services that we provide. We want to provide you with as much information as possible about your care. For registered patients, we have a patient portal through which your medical history can be entered, medical records can be viewed, and our staff can be securely emailed. We hope to continue to add services to the portal as our electronic medical record matures. We also have many patient education resources including patient handouts and videos that can be found on our homepage under GeneralSurgeryPatientInformation. We will update this blog with discussions of particular diseases, surgical procedures, and our philosophy of practice.