Colorectal Surgery at University of Miami Health System
Laurence Sands, M.D., chief of colorectal surgery at the University of Miami Health System, discusses the importance of maintaining a treatment schedule, including surgeries, for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TRANSCRIPT
Narrator: Focusing on you. Innovations in modern medicine. From your team of experts at UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.
Pam Giganti: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, doctors say it’s imperative that patients with serious illness, not delay treatment. Chief of Colorectal Surgery Dr. Lawrence Sands stresses extra measures make the facilities very safe.
Dr. Laurence Sands: And for patients that have a more of a life-threatening condition, obviously should come into the hospital. But even those who have chronic problems that have been bothering them for a while, many of those patients have been putting that work off. And I think that it really is a safe environment for them to come in now and get it done.
Pam Giganti: In May, Dr. Sands performed robotic surgery on Ricardo Ramirez for a painful chronic condition that required the removal of a section of his colon. He says UHealth tower has taken every precaution to ensure patients can safely resume their medical treatment.
Dr. Laurence Sands: The hospital is probably one of the safest places to be right now. We know exactly who has COVID and who doesn’t have COVID. And we know exactly where those patients are. They’re put on separate floors in the hospital.
Ricardo Ramirez: I went with zero doubt whatsoever that I was secure in a safe place, on my health, and on the pandemic, COVID-19.
Dr. Laurence Sands: One of the concerns about this is that by delaying necessary surgery, patients are going to present with more advanced stages of disease, more advanced cancers. And we’re at a point where they may not be operable at some point and not be able to have an operation for it. So I think it’s really important when people have symptoms that they seek out their doctor and that they come to some understanding about what it is they need done.
Tags: colorectal surgery, covid-19 in Miami, Dr. Laurence Sands
