Patient of the Month - "Mackie"
Mackie is one of our geriatric patients who has moved to the Riverland from the Northern Territory. He is a real gentleman and a delight to spend time with, however a lump that we had been monitoring on his chest has suddenly gone through a growth spurt and was starting to cause him some significant health issues.
Mackie was apporximately 18 yeas old at the time of his surgery, and understandably his Mum and Dad were concerned about putting him through an anaesthetic and surgical proceedure. His pre-anaeasthetic blood test results all came back as normal, so it was decided to proceed with the surgery. The surgery was very successful, with the lump easily dissected from the underlying structures on his chest and he had lots of loose skin to allow us to close over the large deficit which was created.
Mackie took a few days to recover from the anaesthetic and surgery, but is now a happy, healthy geriatric again. Mackie is a great example of how surgical proceedures on geriatric patients can significantly improve their quality of life.
