Accidental injuries and trauma can occur in many places, commonly at work (motorised saws, kitchen and industrial equipment) and at home (garage, garden and kitchen appliances).
These can occur to yourself, your young child at home (playground trauma), and even to your elderly relatives (accidental falls and trauma). Due to their frail skin it is also not uncommon for them to require skin graft as part of their repair.
You may have sustained a closed or open hand injury from either a sports or work/industrial trauma, which is very common. Closed fractures are bony breaks which do not contain any open wounds. An open fracture, on the other hand, is associated with an open wound overlying the bony break. In these situations you may also have deeper tendon, nerve and arterial injuries at the same time from a more traumatic mechanism of injury. Repair of these structures will be complex and often require metalware fixation for the fracture, and microsurgery to repair nerve and arterial vessel structures.
These are commonly results of motor vehicle accidents. It is not uncommon for you to require treatment in conjunction with other specialists (such as an orthopaedic surgeon) especially if you have a concurrent long bone fracture. In situations where skin coverage is an issue, usage of skin grafts and tissue flaps may be required to reconstruct your leg. Once again, microsurgery may be required to achieve these complex reconstructions depending on how severe your injury is.
Both the procedure and recovery time will depend on the condition being treated, the area being operated on and the complexity of the surgery being performed. Your recovery time will also depend on your job/home situation. You will be adequately prepared during your consultation by your plastic surgeon, so that you’re clear on what’s involved and what your recovery is likely to be like. Completely tailored to the surgery you’ll be undergoing.
It is extremely likely that your injury would have been seen to by a general practitioner or by an emergency physician. As soon as the referral has been received by myself, urgent arrangements will be made for me to see, assess, treat and manage your injury at an appropriate centre. It is important to ensure that you are fasted for at least 6 hours before any surgeries can be done in order to avoid unnecessary anaesthetic complications.
How long your operation takes will depend on how much injury is needing to be repaired and the extent of the damage. This can range from a simple 20-30 mins procedure to a much longer operation time. Especially if your injury is complex, common with hand, upper limb and lower limb injuries.
Every surgery carries some degree of risk, and you will be briefed on these during your initial consultation if you are wanting to proceed with surgery. Some of the possible general complications may include:
The time it takes for you to return to usual home, work and leisure activities will depend on the site of surgery, what was repaired (fracture/tendon/nerve etc), and your usual occupation and nature of daily work. These will all be discussed and addressed thoroughly at the time of your initial consultation to ensure a safe return to normal duties as efficiently as possible. If you have suffered an upper limb or hand injury, you will most likely need to see a hand therapist post-operatively (and similarly a physiotherapist for a lower limb injury) as part of your rehabilitation process. We have access privately to these allied health staff members to facilitate your recovery process.
Immediately before you are discharged from the hospital, a post-operative information sheet will be given to you to ensure written information is available about how to look after your wounds and dressings in the immediate week prior to being seen in your first post-operative appointment
Book a consultation to discuss the outcome you’re hoping for or to get a second opinion from a qualified plastic surgeon.
I understand that choosing your plastic surgeon is a major decision. Which, is why I spend a great deal of effort to ensure that you’re provided with the most well-rounded treatment option to give you the best possible chance of the outcomes that you’re hoping for.
Public hospital appointments for public patients at Northern Health and Eastern Health.
Copyright © 2021 Marion Chan. All rights reserved
The information on this page and website (marionchan.com.au) is intended to provide you with a degree of general information about some common procedures. It is not made to act as a substitution for advice from your plastic surgeon and does not contain every single known fact about the procedure or every possible side effect of surgery. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. If you are unsure about the benefits, risks and limitations of your management, or anything else, please contact us for direct clarification.
