Emergency Surgery
At Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville, We Treat Emergencies with Surgical Precision
Treating emergency medical conditions often calls for surgery. Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville Emergency Department is staffed with a multidisciplinary team of medical specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week to evaluate and admit patients for major surgical procedures.
How Will I Know if I Need Emergency Surgery?
When you go to a Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville Emergency Department for a life- or limb-threatening illness or injury, members of our medical staff will examine you promptly. If they determine that your condition requires surgery, you’ll be admitted to the hospital for any necessary procedures.
Surgical procedures require informed consent. In the informed consent process, a patient learns about the purpose, benefits, and potential risks of a medical or surgical intervention and then agrees to receive the treatment. You will typically be asked to sign an informed-consent form.
Certain emergency procedures form a partial exception to this rule. If you are unconscious or otherwise unable to provide informed consent, and no one else is available to represent you, the medical staff will proceed with treatment, on the assumption that you would want it performed to save life or limb.
What Is EMTALA? Do EMTALA Regulations Apply to Me?
EMTALA is an acronym for the “Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.” This is a federal law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1986.
According to the American College of Emergency Physicians, EMTALA “requires hospital emergency departments to medically screen every patient who seeks emergency care and to stabilize or transfer those with medical emergencies, regardless of health insurance status or ability to pay.” EMTALA regulations mostly affect the quality of medical and surgical care provided to the indigent and other individuals with a reduced ability to pay.
What Are Some Common Emergency Surgeries?
Here is a partial list of major surgeries resulting from emergency admissions:
- Emergency abdominal surgery
- Emergency gallbladder surgery
- Emergency heart surgery
- Emergency hernia surgery
- Emergency hiatal hernia surgery
- Emergency hip replacement surgery
- Emergency hysterectomy surgery
- Emergency neck surgery
- Emergency coronary artery bypass surgery
- Emergency sinus surgery
- Emergency ulcer surgery
Be Prepared for a Medical Emergency
In any medical crisis, it’s best to be prepared. Make sure you program all emergency numbers into your cell phone or keep a list by your telephone at home. If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 9-1-1.