Q&A with Trauma Surgeon Annie Onishi: Medical Questions Answered

Summary

In this Q&A article, trauma surgeon Annie Onishi provides answers to a wide range of medical questions on Twitter. She shares her expertise on topics including the use of charcoal, making makeshift tourniquets, the effects of camping after having an appendectomy, why doctors cut through clothes, identifying stitches that require attention, and differentiating pneumonias and COVID from X-rays. The speaker also explains how absorbable sutures and peroxide should be used, how wound dehiscence can be treated, and why jokes about surgical instruments should not be taken lightly.

Charcoal and Tourniquets: The importance of legitimate equipment and avoiding harmful substances
Camping after Surgery: Advice for those recovering from an appendectomy
Cutting through Clothes and Stitches: The reasoning and identification behind common medical practices
X-rays and Pneumonia: Clarifications on visual diagnosis
Sutures and Wound Dehiscence: Proper use and treatment of surgical stitches and wounds
Miscellaneous Medical Questions: An expert’s sound advice on peroxide and surgical instruments.

Introduction

As laypeople, getting reliable medical advice can be daunting, especially when dealing with health matters that seem incidental but require expert knowledge. It becomes even more difficult to access medical tips that are not saturated with myths and inaccurate beliefs. However, in this Q&A session with trauma surgeon Annie Onishi, she provides accurate and practical medical advice to several questions that may have crossed our minds at some point in our lives.

Charcoal and Tourniquets

Question: I heard charcoal can help with stomach ache. Is this true?

Annie Onishi: Charcoal is not the solution to your stomach aches or anything else. There’s no medical benefit to consuming charcoal, and it can actually harm your digestive tract in the long run.

Question: When I can’t find a tourniquet, is it okay to make one with a belt or rope?

Annie Onishi: While it is commendable that you want to provide yourself or someone else with first aid, making a makeshift tourniquet out of a belt or rope is not enough. You should always seek proper medical treatment, which includes purchasing legitimate tourniquets for emergency kits.

Camping after Surgery

Question: How soon after an appendectomy can I go camping?

Annie Onishi: It depends on the severity of the surgery, but typically camping should be safe within two to four weeks post-surgery. This recommendation, however, may differ if your physiology has not recovered fully. You should consult your physician before embarking on any outdoor activity, such as camping.

Cutting through Clothes and Stitches

Question: Why do doctors cut through clothes when administering emergency care?

Annie Onishi: When a patient is undergoing an emergency procedure, doctors usually cut through clothes because there’s no time to remove them in a conventional manner. Additionally, the cutting puts more pressure on the wound, which can help control bleeding.

Question: How do I know if I need stitches?

Annie Onishi: Generally, if a wound is longer than 0.5cm or if the edges of the cut cannot cling together, then stitches are required. If there are flaps of skin hanging, stitching is also necessary.

X-rays and Pneumonia

Question: Can pneumonia be detected through X-rays?

Annie Onishi: Yes, it is possible to detect pneumonia through an X-ray. However, it takes an expert in reading the images to differentiate between symptoms of COVID-19 and pneumonia or other respiratory illnesses. Always seek professional medical advice when it comes to any form of medical diagnosis.

Sutures and Wound Dehiscence

Question: How long do dissolvable stitches take to dissolve?

Annie Onishi: Dissolvable sutures should take between 7-10 days to dissolve. If they haven’t dissolved within that timeframe and are causing discomfort, then you should seek medical attention.

Question: Can I drink beer after surgery?

Annie Onishi: Depending on the medication and the operation itself, it may be safe to drink beer after surgery. However, it’s best to ask your doctor before consuming alcohol after surgery.

Question: How long does wound dehiscence take to heal?

Annie Onishi: Wound dehiscence can take 4-6 weeks to heal depending on the size of the wound and proper nutrition.

Miscellaneous Medical Questions

Question: Can you over-use peroxide for wound cleansing?

Annie Onishi: It’s not likely that you can over-apply peroxide to a wound. However, as peroxide can damage healthy cells and tissues, it’s important to use it as advised by your healthcare provider, primarily to primarily clean road rash or abrasions.

Question: Can electric eels shock a heart back into rhythm like a defibrillator?

Annie Onishi: Unfortunately, electric eels cannot shock a person’s heart back into rhythm like a defibrillator. The amount of electricity an electrical eel produces is not enough to defibrillate a human heart.

Question: Is it okay to suture cuts on the bowel?

Annie Onishi: Suturing cuts on the bowel is not recommended outside of a surgical setting. It’s not just about sewing, but also a matter of proper diagnosis and treatment needed and this should be done by trained professionals.

Question: Can surgeons really leave instruments inside a patient?

Annie Onishi: It is not unheard of for surgeons to leave instruments inside a patient accidentally, especially in the abdominal area, where a lot of space is given. This can happen when surgeons are not able to account for all the items due to overcrowding, clutter, or even being distracted by other medical issues.

Conclusion

In this Q&A, trauma surgeon Annie Onishi demonstrated why her knowledge and expertise in the medical field should be trusted. With her wide range of medical advice, one can be sure of getting reliable and practical responses to their medical questions. However, it is always important to seek professional medical attention in times of medical emergencies or when faced with complex medical issues.