Managing medical conditions
Managing medical conditions
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Some medical conditions can affect recovery from surgery. It is important to make sure known conditions are controlled as well as possible ahead of your surgery. When you have your pre-operative assessment by the Anaesthetic Assessment Clinic you will be asked about your health and they may also test for new medical conditions that could have an impact on your surgery. In some cases, if the surgeon or anaesthetic doctor is very worried about your medical conditions, it might be necessary to delay surgery to give you more time to work with your GP or specialist medical team.
Diabetes
Good control of your blood sugar is really important to reduce your risk of infections after surgery. If you need to get better control of your diabetes for surgery, you can do this by making changes to your diet or your diabetes medications. If you have Type 2 diabetes, increasing how much you exercise can help. Your GP or diabetes team will help you make these changes.
High blood pressure
Blood pressure should be controlled to safe levels to reduce your risk of heart disease or stroke. If you have had high blood pressure before or are currently taking medication to manage your blood pressure, your GP clinic can check your blood pressure to make sure it is well controlled before your surgery.
Anaemia
You might be asked to have a blood test to check your red blood cell count. If you are found to have anaemia (a low red blood cell count), the hospital’s Patient Blood Management team might offer you treatment, or ask you to see your GP. Treating your anaemia before surgery reduces the chance of you needing a blood transfusion. It will also help your recovery and you will feel less tired after your surgery.
For more information about managing your blood, click here.
Dental health
If you have loose teeth or crowns you may want to visit to the dentist to reduce the risk of damage to your teeth during your surgery.