Hiatal Hernia Surgery in Chapinero

Hiatal hernia surgery can be performed as a laparoscopic or open surgery; both are done under general anesthetic. With open surgery, your surgeon makes a single large incision in your abdomen and returns your stomach to where it belongs and wraps it around the lower part of the esophagus to create a tighter sphincter. With laparoscopic surgery, your surgeon will make 3 to 5 small incisions to insert surgical instruments and the laparoscope. The laparoscope transmits images of the internal organ to a monitor, guiding your surgeon through the surgery.

You may need to stay in the hospital for 1 to 3 days, but you should plan to stay in Chapinero a lot longer. Plan to stay for at least 7 to 14 days or when you get sign-off from your surgeon. During your stay, you will need to attend scheduled follow up appointments and also removal of the stitches.

A full recovery may take about 10 to 12 weeks, but you can resume some of your daily routines and work within 6 to 8 weeks. If you have a physically demanding job, you probably need around 3 months before you can return. However, when the surgery is performed through a laparoscopic method, you may be able to recover in just a few weeks.

After a hiatal hernia surgery, you need to avoid baths, hot tubs, or pools. Instead, you can wash your body by taking a shower. You will have a restricted diet to prevent your stomach from extending, this diet involves eating four to six meals per day rather than 3 large meals, as well as avoiding food that causes gas. Your doctor will also give you coughing and breathing exercises to help strengthen your diaphragm.

A hiatal hernia surgery is effective and safe, with around 90% to 95% success rate. The mortality rate after the laparoscopic method is 0.57%, while the mortality rate after open surgery is about 1.0% - 2.7%. Just like any surgery, there are risks, complications, and that you need to be aware of, including bleeding, injury to internal organs, infection, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and recurrence of the hernia.

Hiatal hernia surgery is effective for those that experience severe symptoms. If your symptoms are mild, you can opt for medications or home treatment.