GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE PATIENT BEFORE ANY SURGICAL ACTION IN ORTHOPEDIA

Dear,

The legal, medico-legal and socio-economic framework increasingly closely linked to medical practice must not overshadow the moral contract that is established between the health care team and you and your family. We remain convinced of the importance of a climate of confidence necessary for the smooth running of any hospitalization or surgical procedure.

For this purpose I inform you of some important points in case of surgery on a shoulder

the anesthesia whatever its form (general, loco-regional, local) involves own risks. The anesthesiologist doctor will explain them to you during the preoperative consultation to which it is imperative that you go at least 72 hours before the intervention (except urgent intervention not programmable).
Medications, whether curative or preventive (such as anticoagulants or antibiotics), are considered trivial or innocuous. However, they have their own risk of complications (hematomas, haemorrhages, allergies …) or side effects (digestive, blood, dermatological, etc …).
The acceptance of a risk of complication or incident, even exceptional but sometimes serious, is the inevitable counterpart of the effectiveness of any treatment. The lack of treatment is not always without risk.

Specifying an exact percentage of complication is difficult because the risk is essentially individual, depending more on the terrain of each patient (antecedents, peculiarities). Surgery has its limits, it never allows to redo an organ, a joint, a tendon identical to nature.
Inescapable sequelae (starting with one or more scars) most often minor must be accepted in return for the benefit obtained.

A result is never guaranteed in advance, even with the most proven and reliable techniques.

After these generalities, I list you the most frequent and the most serious complications that can occur during the course of a surgical intervention:
o Infection

o Hematoma

o cicatricial disunity

o delay or healing disorder

o cutaneous necrosis

o unsightly or painful scar

o joint stiffness

o Algoneurodystrophy (complex regional pain syndrome)

o phlebitis, pulmonary embolism

o vascular or nervous compression

o paralysis

o rupture, failure of implant or prosthetic or osteosynthetic material

o delayed consolidation, non-union, etc.

most of these complications heal without sequelae, others require appropriate treatment, sometimes new surgery. Some can leave serious and definitive sequels and very exceptionally can lead to death.

If you do not accept these risks related to surgery, if you do not trust, do not have surgery done.

Read this letter, possibly as a family, talk to your doctor

Good results obviously exist and are in the majority.

The will to heal, the mutual trust, the respect of the advice provided and the observance of the treatments prescribed are fundamental for a favorable evolution and a good final result.

I beg you to believe in the assurance of my devoted feelings.

A ……………………., The ………………………………… signature

Thank you for submitting to my secretariat, to the nursing staff of the hospitalization unit or to myself, no later than the day of your hospitalization and imperatively before the intervention, the informed consent document which will be given to you at the time of the decision of the transaction signed and dated from your hand. Its purpose is to certify that you have received information as complete as you wish and that you agree to the intervention. It is not an authorization to operate or an exemption from the responsibility of the surgeon.