Emergency Surgery
Emergency surgery is life or limb saving surgery, that needs to be done swiftly to save a person’s life or preserve their limb. Such surgeries include appendectomies and trauma surgery. The orthopaedic emergencies that need swift surgery include broken hips, open fractures at risk of infection, or fractures that compromise nerve function and blood supply. Some bone and muscle infections need quick surgical treatment to save a patient’s life. These are the problems that will get orthopaedic surgeons like Brian Loh out of bed in the middle of the night and off to hospital to operate!
Elective surgery
Elective surgery is not always optional. “Elective” pertains to having the time to schedule the surgery. Some elective surgeries are categorised as urgent where they need an operation in 30 days, some are semi-urgent, and others are non-urgent and can wait longer. Cancer surgery is often elective and categorised as urgent.
Elective operations in children can be time dependant as the opportunity to effect change is finite as they grow so rapidly. This includes the ability to affect the direction of growth in limbs and joints. Brian Loh will operate on some kids with hip dysplasia or with growth problems at the most optimal time in their development. Sometimes fractures that affect the growth plate result in a growth deficiency or an overgrowth of bone and these may need to be corrected by an operation by Brian Loh to equalise leg lengths
Elective operations often have the flexibility of waiting until the optimal time such as when you have recovered from a cold, reach a safe weight to be operated on, or have the time to prepare for surgery emotionally and physically.
As an orthopaedic surgeon, Brian Loh will discuss with you the best time for any surgery that may be required.