(HealthyResearch.com) – Any surgery involves risks like infection, but some surgeries are far more dangerous than others. Difficult or complex procedures, which body parts are operated on, the skill of the surgeon, and other factors may all come into play. Medical techniques have advanced and improved over time, but there are still many risky surgeries. We’ve done some research, and here are eight of the most deadly medical procedures.
1. Bariatric Surgery
For people who are severely obese or who continue to struggle with their weight, bariatric surgery options, including gastric bypass, can be life-saving. It provides patients with a chance to get closer to a healthy weight. But this surgery is complicated and carries significant risk.
Operating on those who are obese requires special instruments and can be risky because of issues surrounding general anesthesia and postoperative complications with healing at the incision site. Pneumonia and blood clots may also be post-surgical complications that morbidly obese patients face because their mobility is often impaired.
2. Bladder Cystectomy
Patients who have bladder cancer may require this procedure. In some cases, surgeons must remove the entire bladder. In other cases, surgeons may choose to remove a portion of the bladder or just the tumor.
A high risk of infection in the intestines or the abdominal lining may accompany this surgery. If only part of the bladder is removed, urine may leak from the incision site, potentially causing other serious complications.
3. Pancreatectomy
This surgery involves the removal of all or part of the pancreas and comes with a significant risk of complications. According to a study by Johns Hopkins, up to 41% of people who’ve had this surgery experienced complications. Post-operative bleeding was one of the most serious issues along with a delay in gastric emptying and internal anastomotic leaking.
4. Thoracic Aortic Dissection Repair
An aortic dissection is a tear in the heart’s innermost layer. Anyone with this kind of a tear is at risk for stroke, heart failure, or aortic rupture. Repairing it is critical for survival, but the repair can be risky. Surgeons generally need to remove the area of the aorta that has dissected and rebuild the area using a synthetic graft. Skill is required to make sure this graft holds without leaking. The procedure may require a “bloodless field” temporarily, meaning the patient’s heart might need to be stopped for a brief time and restarted.
5. Septal Myotomy
Patients who have a type of heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) may need this type of surgery. It’s designed to reduce the thickness of the heart muscle. People who undergo this surgery must be on a heart-lung machine for the duration of the surgery, which might be between three and six hours. A stay in the Intensive Care Unit afterward is also required, and the risk of complications from such a delicate surgery is high.
6. Craniectomy
Anytime surgery involves the brain, the risk for complications exists. This surgery, however, can be more problematic than many others because a piece of the skull is removed to gain access to the brain for surgery. That piece of skull is not replaced, and it’s necessary to plan for the protection of the patient’s head for the rest of his or her life. It’s also possible there might be damage to one or more of the brain’s functions, such as vision, hearing, or speech. Brain swelling, strokes, and seizures are common complications.
7. Esophagectomy
This surgery requires the removal of a part of the esophagus. The cause might be cancer or other types of esophageal damage. During surgery, the remainder of the esophagus that’s healthy is reconnected to the stomach. That can be difficult and carries the risk of fluid leaking from the area where that connection is created. Although most patients recover from this surgery well, the risk of complications is never ignored.
8. Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
A coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is also sometimes called coronary revascularization. It’s designed to reroute blood around clogged arteries so the heart receives proper blood flow. The graft material is taken from arteries or veins in other areas of the body and significant recovery time is required. This procedure is relatively common today, but it’s still a major surgery. The risks should not be underestimated.
Surgery can save lives when it’s needed. Most surgeries return a good quality of life to patients who were struggling with seemingly insurmountable medical problems. All surgery carries serious risks sometimes increased by patients’ overall health outlooks. For some patients, one of these risky surgical procedures might be their only shot at improving or prolonging their lives. For the majority of us, working closely with our healthcare teams is the best way to determine when or if a particular surgery is right for us.
~Here’s to Your Health & Safety!
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