Some medical conditions require immediate action. Severe burns, trauma, or acute surgical illness may need an emergency surgical response. This branch of health care is known as acute care, where the patient receives short-term treatment for sudden episodes of diseases.
If you have a disease that may require sudden care, you need to be prepared in case of emergencies. Make sure you have access to the best Upper East Side acute care surgery so that they can help you in urgent situations.
What is Acute Care Surgery?
Acute care surgery is an area of healthcare that deals with the sudden and short-term treatment of illnesses. Acute care is just the opposite of chronic or long-term care. This branch of healthcare cares explicitly for patients who need emergency surgical intervention for trauma and critical care.
Emergency illnesses often require taking quick action. Acute surgeons are skilled and trained to make quick decisions about taking care of the patient. Acute care requires you to stay in the emergency department, urgent care center, ambulatory surgery center, or other short-term facilities. Hospital-based acute care aims to discharge the patient as soon as they regain a stable condition.
How Acute Care Surgery can Help
Acute care surgery can help take care of various health conditions. They are as follows.
Appendicitis
Your appendix is an organ on the right side of your belly that looks like a pouch. When a condition named appendicitis occurs, your appendix is inflamed or infected. It can cause severe abdominal pain, and when left untreated, the symptoms can worsen and cause severe complications over time. Inflamed appendicitis may even burst, which is a life-threatening situation. Acute care can provide the emergency care it needs in case of sudden ruptures.
Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis is a condition where small, bulging pouches are formed at the lower part of the large intestine. These usually develop after the age of 40 and can cause nausea, abdominal pain, change in bowel habits, and fever. Mild conditions can be treated with antibiotics and care at home. However, severe and recurring conditions may require acute care surgery.
Intestinal Obstructions
Intestinal obstruction is a severe condition that blocks food or liquid from passing through your small or large intestine. It can create holes in your bowel, resulting in leakage of its contents into your abdominal cavity, which further leads to infection. This is life-threatening and requires immediate surgical care. Acute care surgery helps in removing the blockage and repairs intestinal damages.
Trauma Surgery
Certain trauma accidents can result in death if not taken care of immediately. Some trauma situations handled by acute care surgeons are as follows.
- Car accidents
- Intentional and unintentional injury
- Falls
- Head injuries
- Fractures
- Severe bleeding
- Internal organ injury