One of patients’ biggest fears before they are about to undergo an operation is whether their surgeon will operate on the correct body part.
In medicine, wrong-site surgery is referred to as a “never” event—it should never happen. And while extraordinarily rare, it still occasionally does occur. Usually, when it does, it makes headlines.
Our goal at my New York practice is obviously NOT to make headlines, but to give you the best possible care. We have a multi-pronged system to ensure that we operate on the correct limb on the day of surgery, which I outline below.
Step 1: Informed Consent
It starts with the consent. Informed consent is a process whereby your surgeon and medical team explains to you in detail the procedure that you are about to have. The explanation should cover risks, benefits, potential alternatives, the expected rehabilitation, and potential complications.
It is a conversation in which you are given an opportunity to ask questions, voice concerns, and better understand your procedure. In this discussion, you will be asked upon which limb you will be having surgery. This will then get recorded and placed in your chart for review just before the procedure.
Step 2: Marking the Operative Limb
On the day of surgery, I will mark your operative limb with a permanent marker near the surgery site. I always ask each patient prior to surgery which limb I am operating on. After they respond, I will mark it with my initials “MD” and the word “Yes.”
You can help too. While not all patients do this, you can certainly mark your own limb with the word “YES” for the operative limb or “NO” for the opposite limb on the morning of surgery.
Step 3: Double Checks by the Team
Team members double-check. Nurses, surgical staff, and anesthesia typically double-check that all paperwork and surgical site markings match. This is why you may be asked on multiple occasions which limb you are having surgery on. In this case, redundancy is a good thing.
Step 4: Time Out in the Operating Room
In the operating room before your surgery, the entire surgical team stops to review the surgical plan. We make sure that the surgical site is marked and clearly visible, and then the entire team agrees that this agrees with the paperwork. Only then do we proceed.
Your Safety is Our Priority
If you have questions or concerns about your upcoming surgery, please don’t hesitate to reach out. At my offices in Williamsville, Orchard Park, and Niagara Falls, New York, your safety and comfort are always our top priorities.