ABOUT: SURGICAL SECOND OPINION
More than any other diagnosis, a diagnosis of a condition that requires surgery is frightening to most patients and families. But many conditions ranging from a simple hernia or hemorrhoid to other life threatening conditions like cancers do require surgery. But once that diagnosis is made usually by your primary care physician you will be referred to a surgeon. If the surgeon recommends surgery, it is our opinion that you should get as much information as possible from that surgeon, including, if there is any alternative medical treatment to avoid surgery, what type of surgery is recommended (and if there are different options in the procedure itself), what hospital is the surgery to be done at, approximate period of hospitalization, period of recovery and return to work and the prognosis associated with this condition. Obviously our description relates to surgery that is elective and planned and not surgery advised in an emergency situation.
With all this information, IT IS OUR HUMBLE AND EDUCATED OPINION THAT YOU SHOULD SEEK A SECOND OPINION. And this is where we come in and offer a comprehensive evaluation of your entire case. We will conduct a thorough examination; meticulously go through your investigations including the original surgeon’s findings, blood tests and available scans. If any further tests are necessary we would request them. Having gone through your entire case, we will go over with you and your family our findings and agree or disagree with the original findings and suggested treatment. This includes, firstly confirming the diagnosis and then the necessity for surgery. If there are alternatives to surgery we will discuss such alternatives with their respective advantages and disadvantages. If we agree with the original surgeon we would gladly state so and send you back to him with our blessings. This therefore adds credence to his plan and express satisfaction in his professionalism.
Second opinion is not questioning the opinion or treatment options suggested by the primary surgeon. In Medicine as in so many other fields, there are more than one way to solve a problem and we at “THE INSTITUTE FOR SECOND SURGICAL OPINION“ have taken up this endeavor to explore WITHOUT PREJUDICE and only with the patient’s welfare to consider. Our intentions are purely prompted by giving the patient an opportunity to seek an opinion confirming the original opinion or to consider different options either surgical or medical. It is not our intention to steer the patient away from the primary surgeon. Nor are we attempting to steer the patient to a different hospital.
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This service is being rendered by experienced surgeons headed by, Dr. M.K.M. Zawahir, M.D., F.A.C.S. who is Board Certified in Surgery in the USA and has had a successful surgical practice in New York for the last forty seven years.
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The service is offered remotely as a teleconferencing consultation. The consultant surgeon is located in New York, USA.
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As a frequent visitor to Chennai the same service maybe provided at Chennai.
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NOTE:
The privacy of all medical records and other individually identifiable health information shall be protected at all times. Information relating to a patient’s health care history, diagnosis, condition, treatment, or evaluation shall be considered individually identifiable health information. Confidentiality of this health information shall be maintained at all times, and may only be disclosed with the express written consent of the patient.
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Non-individually identifiable health information, (e.g. health information that cannot be linked to a specific patient) is not included within the definition of protected health information.
Dr. M. K. M. Zawahir, M.D., F.A.C.S
An American Board Certified Surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Zawahir graduated from Madurai Medical College, Madras University. He had his post graduate surgical training in the New York City, U.S. and has been practicing as a General, Laparoscopic, and Peripheral Vascular surgeron in New York for the last forty seven years.
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He is a member of The New York Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and a memebr of The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. Academic Director in Surgery at Lima Hospital Chennai and Visiting Surgeon at Kumaran Hospital Chennai.