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Umbilical Hernia Surgery
Relevant information about Umbilical Hernia Surgery.
The surgery is used for patients who present an umbilical hernia. An umbilical hernia is a sac formed from the inner lining of the belly of the patient that makes pressure at the belly button. It is important to remove umbilical hernias, because they affect the normal function of the human body.
Umbilical hernia surgeries are performed in children and adults. In children, umbilical hernias are common; a hernia in a birth will pull the belly button out. In infants, this disorder is not treated by having a surgery, in the majority of the cases the hernia closes on its own at the age of three or four years old. In children, it is important to treat umbilical hernias, because of many reasons, some of them are: the hernia is painful and it affects the normal circulation of the body, the hernia has not been closed naturally at the age of three or four, and finally, the defect is very large and complicated for parents because of the way that the children looks like. In adults, umbilical hernias are also common. They often appear in overweight people or in women, after pregnancy. They tend to get bigger as time goes by. It is important to treat an umbilical hernia with surgery because otherwise it can make the intestine get stuck. Surgery is needed in most of the cases, especially when the hernia becomes more and more painful and gets larger.
The surgery will be performed under general anesthesia. If the hernia is small, she/he will receive spinal or epidural block that is a special type of anesthesia that will relax the patient. The patient will be awake but pain-free. The surgeon will start by making an initial cut under the belly button. Once the surgeon has found the hernia, he/she will separate it from the tissues around. He/she will remove it from the body. The surgeon will use strong stitches to repair the hole or weak spot that appears as a consequence of the umbilical hernia. It is probable that the surgeon will lay a piece of mesh over the weak area, this happen in adults patients.
The majority of these operations are done in an outpatient basis which means that the patient is able to leave the clinic the same day of the surgical procedure. However, if the hernia is too large, the patient will have to stay one day in the hospital. Once the surgery has finished, a nurse will check if the vital signs of the patient are normal, some of these signs are (blood pressure, temperature of the body and breathing). The patient will stay in the recovery room until he/she is has reached a normal state. If the patient feels discomfort or pain around the area that was operated, the doctor will prescribe specific medication to calm the pain. The doctor will indicate the patients which are the cleanness and hygiene rules that they will have to follow to avoid an infection. The patient will be able to resume his/her normal activities after two or four weeks from the operation. It is important to be resting during the first weeks after the operation, having a soft diet based in liquids and light foods. The patient cannot make any physical effort until two weeks from the surgical procedure.
Risks related to an Umbilical Hernia Surgery are low, except in cases where the patient presents other serious medical problems that could affect the normal development of the operation. Related to anesthesia, risks can be, an adverse reaction to the anesthesia, breathing problems (for example pneumonia) and heart problems. Risks related to the surgery are bleeding and infection. During the operation, professionals are well trained to stop any bleeding. Related to an infection, it is important for the patient to follow the hygiene rules given to keep the incision area clean. A specific risk of an Umbilical Hernia Surgery is injury to the bowel; in most of the cases this does not happen and the average of probability is very low.
The surgery will help the patient to improve his/her life. The patient will not have to stand painful situations and will not have restrictions related to the physical activities that he/she will be able to do. In the case of children, it is pretty important to perform this operation, because an umbilical hernia brings, in the majority of the cases, future health problems and normal development of the patient. Umbilical hernias are not serious but are essential to be treated because of the symptoms and risks that can bring if they are not healed. The majority of the patients that have undergo an Umbilical Hernia Surgery assure that it has positively changed their lives bringing a lot of possibilities of enjoying sports, physical activities as well as their normal routine.
The surgery will not incorporate a foreign body to the patient. The surgery is oriented to patients that have an umbilical hernia and want to remove it because it gives problems and conflicts to the development of their health and normal life.
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