What Is Complex Reoperative Surgery?
Complex reoperative surgery refers to surgical procedures performed to correct complications or issues that have arisen from previous operations. These surgeries often address serious intra-abdominal complications, such as intestinal leaks, bowel obstructions, or large abdominal hernias. At Life Surgical Oncology in Los Angeles, CA, Dr. Avo Artinyan specializes in reoperative surgery for patients facing difficult surgical histories or outcomes that require advanced correction. This highly specialized area of care is critical for restoring function and improving quality of life after prior surgical complications.
What are Surgical Complications?
Medical errors have been estimated to cause nearly 100,000 deaths in the United States each year, many of them related to surgical complications. Surgical complications are a reality of all surgical procedures and can happen to any patient and any surgeon at any time. In fact, most operations have known complications that are considered "accepted" adverse events — some minor, some major.
Luckily, most complications are minor and resolve with straightforward treatment without affecting the long-term well-being of the individual. A small but significant number of patients, however, will suffer major, life-altering complications that require prolonged and complex treatment in order to restore acceptable quality of life and function. Often, treatment will require multiple surgeries and a prolonged period of recovery.
What Are Examples of Major Intraabdominal Complications?
Major intraabdominal complications include:
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Intestinal leaks — a leak can develop where bowel was reconnected or repaired, allowing intestinal contents to spill into the abdominal cavity. This can cause serious infection, abscesses, or sepsis.
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Intestinal fistulae — a fistula is an abnormal communication between the intestine and the skin or other organs such as the bladder or vagina. Fistulae can cause chronic drainage, infection, and skin breakdown. Some may close without surgery, while others require complex, staged operations.
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Bowel obstruction — a blockage of the intestine, most commonly from scar tissue (adhesions) after prior surgery, but also from hernias or recurrent disease.
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Large abdominal wall hernias — defects in the abdominal wall, often at the site of a previous incision. These can be painful and disfiguring and can trap intestine. Repair becomes more complex when there is infection, prior mesh, or loss of abdominal wall tissue.
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Bile duct injuries — injury to the bile ducts, most often during gallbladder surgery, can cause bile leakage, jaundice, infection, or narrowing of the ducts.
How Can We Help at Life Surgical Oncology?
While complications can happen to every patient and surgeon, the key to recovering from these life-altering events is who is standing next to you to help you overcome this challenging time.
First and foremost, at Life Surgical Oncology, we perform meticulous surgery with the goal of minimizing complications in the first place. More simply, we do not rush through surgery and strive to get it right the first time, every time.
If you have already had a surgical complication, we can help you get your life back. The physicians at Life Surgical Oncology serve as a tertiary level referral resource for patients and insurers for complications that require complex surgical repair. We are experts in the repair of complex intestinal fistulae, leaks, large abdominal wall hernias, bowel blockages and bile
While challenging, reoperative surgery can offer substantial benefits to patients dealing with unresolved complications. These procedures are often the key to restoring quality of life and correcting issues left unresolved by previous operations.
Why Dr. Artinyan Is Different
Dr. Artinyan's background combines extensive experience in abdominal surgery including abdominal wall surgery, colorectal surgery, surgical oncology, and pelvic reconstructive surgery.
Unmatched Technical Expertise
Dr. Artinyan is among the few surgeons in the area credentialed to perform surgery are nearly all abdominal and pelvic structures including the colon, stomach, pancreas, liver, bile ducts bladder, kidney gynecologic organs and abdominal wall. This breadth of expertise is of particular importance in the management of dealing with complex abdominal complications which may involve many structures througout the abdomen.
Unmatched Experience
Dr. Artinyan served as Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery at one of the largest medical centers in the world. In his role at Baylor College of Medicine, he was a tertiary referral resource for major intraabdominal complications throughout the community and has a long track record of fixing complications spanning the entire abdomen and pelvis. He currently serves as a tertiary level resource for multiple physicians and insurers for patients who need revisional surgery for major complications involving the abdominal and pelvic organs.
Dr. Artinyan has been called the "surgeon's surgeon" having been called upon to operate on his fellow physicians, surgeons and their family members.
Life Surgical Oncology Reviews
Quiero agradecerle al doctor Artinyan sufri por más de 10 años de hemorroides mi doctora me refiero con este especialista el doctor me realizo una cirugía para acabar con mis problemas mesiento contento mi recuperación asido lento pero el doctor siempre está ai para apoyar es un doctor muy amable y comprensivo trata muy bien asus pacientes también se toma el tiempo de escuchar tus preocupaciones les recomiendo que visiten este lugar si buscan un buen especialista aquí lo van en contrar bendiciones al doctor y atodo su equipo de oficina gracias por ser tan agradables
I highly recommend him and his team to anyone in need of quality medical care
It was really amazing the way Dr. Artinyan helped me. I am very grateful to him and his entire team. May God bless you all.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr Avo Artinyan for his expertise, professionalism, and impeccable surgical skills. Not only he is an exceptionally gifted surgeon with great attention to details, but also a caring and compassionate human being, with great bedside manners. He exudes confidence, yet he’s very approachable and very patient in answering questions. His attentiveness, kindness, and straightforward approach in explaining all of the steps, makes you feel calm and comfortable, even in a stressful situation. I was very lucky to have him as my surgeon and I had complete trust and confidence in his ability to make the best decisions regarding my care. I will forever be grateful for the compassionate and skilled care I received. Dr Avo Artinyan, thank you for being an amazing doctor!
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr Avo Artinyan for his expertise, professionalism, and impeccable surgical skills. Not only he is an exceptionally gifted surgeon with great attention to details, but also a caring and compassionate human being, with great bedside manners. He exudes confidence, yet he’s very approachable and very patient in answering questions. His attentiveness, kindness, and straightforward approach in explaining all of the steps, makes you feel calm and comfortable, even in a stressful situation. I was very lucky to have him as my surgeon and I had complete trust and confidence in his ability to make the best decisions regarding my care.I will forever be grateful for the compassionate and skilled care I received.Dr Avo Artinyan, thank you for being an amazing doctor!
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Specialized Surgical Repair When You Need It Most
If you or a loved one has experienced a major surgical complication, or has been told an operation is too risky or not possible, contact Life Surgical Oncology to schedule a consultation. Dr. Artinyan will review your records and imaging and give you an honest assessment of your options.