Emergency Plans
An emergency care plan should be created to ensure you receive the best medical care for your mito needs, when your medical team cannot be present. It may include plans for emergency room visits or hospital admissions. The emergency plan provides hospital staff with your medical history and emergency protocols to follow, such as a list of treatments you should receive while in hospital, lab work to complete, and medications to avoid. As every mito patient presents their disease differently, your patient emergency protocols will be different and personalized to meet your unique needs.
It is recommended to have your emergency care plan in your local hospital’s records. Always bring a copy of your emergency care plan with you when visiting the hospital.
Surgical Procedures
When it comes to surgical procedures, extra precautions often need to be taken for mito patients. Pre-surgical preparation should be reviewed and possibly adjusted. Some medical procedures require no eating or drinking 12-24 hours beforehand, also referred to as NPOs (latin abbreviation for nothing by mouth). Fasting before a medical procedure can be dangerous for those with certain types of mito. Furthermore, some surgical plans may advise mito patients to be hospitalised the day before a surgery is scheduled to administer IV fluids. Be sure to speak to your doctor to learn more.
Certain anaesthetics may need to be avoided, as some mito patients are often vulnerable to “metabolic stress” when certain anaesthetics are used. To avoid any sensitivity to anaesthesia, preoperative patients must minimize fasting and have glucose added to preoperative IV fluids, unless the patient has adverse reactions to high glucose intake. Anaesthetic options must be discussed with the patient by the medical team, including the anesthesiologist, to ensure a safe, and well-tolerated anaesthetic is selected.
Be your best advocate
Over time, mitochondrial disease may progress. This may lead to the development of new symptoms and may affect new parts of the body. Monitoring your health and reporting any changes to your doctor is essential to help address disease progression early on. Ensure you attend annual evaluations, keep up with requested lab tests and scans, keep a symptom journal to record any symptom changes you may be experiencing and attend routine check-ups.
Your health care specialists can help to answer any specific questions you may have regarding surgery as a patient with Mito.