Sometimes, a visit to your primary care provider or the emergency room will result in a referral to a general surgeon.
Dr. Nabajit Choudhury, a general surgeon at Regional One Health, determines the best course of treatment for issues like hernias, gallbladder problems and more.
Sometimes, patients can manage their conditions through medication or lifestyle changes. If surgery is necessary, Dr. Choudhury can often offer a minimally invasive approach.
If your doctor says you need surgery, you probably have questions about what to expect in terms of pain, recovery and results. Regional One Health general surgeon Nabajit Choudhury, MD has the answers.
As a general surgeon, Dr. Choudhury provides elective and emergency procedures for a variety of conditions. Thanks to minimally invasive techniques like laparoscopic and robotic surgery, he’s expanding options for care and performing procedures with minimal pain and shorter recovery time.
Dr. Choudhury’s goal is to find the least invasive, most effective option to address a patient’s symptoms. “With every patient I think, ‘What if he or she was my family member?’” he said. “I want my patients to be satisfied and confident in the care I’m providing.”
General surgeons specialize in performing surgery to remove diseased organs, fix injuries, and promote health and healing.
Non-emergency procedures include hernia repair and elective gallbladder removal for patients who suffer from frequent bouts of gallstones related problems. Dr. Choudhury also does emergency gallbladder removal and emergency surgery for acute conditions like appendicitis and intestinal blockages.
Many patients are referred to Dr. Choudhury by a primary care provider due to pain or other symptoms. Patients also come to him after visiting the emergency room for an acute condition.
Dr. Nabajit Choudhury, a general surgeon at Regional One Health, helps patients with issues like hernias, gallbladder problems and appendicitis.
He starts by doing a thorough evaluation to determine a patient’s best treatment option. In some cases, he recommends medication, lifestyle changes, monitoring, etc. instead of surgery.
If a patient does need surgery, he can often recommend a minimally invasive approach that lets most people go home the same day. After minimally invasive surgery, patients can usually do light activity the next day, drive within a few days, and return to work in about a week or two.
In laparoscopic procedures, the surgeon makes several small incisions of less than a centimeter, then uses narrow tubes to insert instruments to perform the procedure.
Dr. Choudhury said laparoscopic surgery is an excellent option for conditions including hernia repair and elective gallbladder removal.
He can also perform robotic surgery, where surgeons use tiny incisions and instruments guided by a console to provide enhanced range of motion, precision, flexibility, control and 3D view of organs.
Robotic surgery gives him the ability to repair larger hernias, operate on patients with high body mass index, combine gallbladder removal and hernia repair, or repair multiple hernias at the same time. Robotic procedures tend to have an enhanced and less painful recovery.
Dr. Choudhury said both laparoscopic and robotic surgeries cut down the fear factor for patients, since they involve less time to recovery and just a few tiny incisions.
“A lot of patients have anxiety about surgery. I understand this is a big deal for the patient and their family, so I look for ways to put them at ease,” he said.
General surgeons can recommend medication or lifestyle changes, or to proceed with surgery. At Regional One Health, Dr. Choudhury can often provide a minimally invasive approach that involves smaller incisions, less risk, and an easier recovery.
A more major open surgery is required for some conditions, such as complex hernias and acute conditions like a burst appendix, bowel obstruction, or a gallbladder that is scarred, infected or severely inflamed. In these cases, patients typically must stay in the hospital at least overnight, and recovery usually takes longer than with a minimally invasive procedure.
The best news is, once a patient heals from minimally invasive or open surgery, they typically feel back to normal. Once a surgeon has removed the problem – whether that be a painful hernia, inflamed gallbladder or appendix, etc. – the patient’s symptoms go away.
Dr. Choudhury said it is rewarding to help people return to the activities they enjoy.
“In medical school, I was inspired by the idea of being able to do something with my own hands to help patients fix problems,” he said. “Patients give us their trust to take care of them and to fix them. Being able to do that is a great opportunity for anyone in the medical field.”
Dr. Choudhury performs procedures at Regional One Health’s Main Campus, 880 Madison Ave. He sees patients for consultations at our East Campus, 6555 Quince Rd.