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Not Your Everyday Surgery
Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought, I just don’t look right? This happened to
60-year-old Frank Kozlik of Howell.
Frank went in to see his doctor to find
out why his skin had a yellowish
color and he was losing weight. His
doctor sent him to Jersey Shore University
Medical Center to have a CT scan, which
revealed a mass on Frank’s pancreas. After
consulting with the patient, Jerome Vernick,
M.D., chief of Surgery, and John Davis,
M.D, decided to
perform a bloodless surgery.
Bloodless Surgery: A Safe Alternative
Bloodless medicine and surgery are quickly
becoming some the best alternatives
to traditional blood transfusions. Jersey
Shore’s Center for Bloodless Care opened in 2000, pioneering bloodless care medicine
in the region. The center realizes
that patients may choose not to receive a
blood transfusion for a variety of reasons
— whether religious, philosophical, or
arising from safety concerns.
There are several advantages of bloodless
surgery: Patients have shorter stays
in the hospital, faster recoveries, and
reduced danger of infection. According
to Dr. Davis, bloodless surgery is just
"good medicine."
Preparing for the Procedure
Before Frank could go into surgery, he
had to build up his red blood cells so the
doctors can safely remove enough to supply Frank during the procedure. So two
weeks before surgery, he went for a procedure
that combines X-ray and the use of
an endoscope. A tube is passed through a
scope, and a dye is injected, which allows
the internal organs to appear on an x-ray.
Then a stent is inserted. This stent temporarily
helped Frank with his jaundice and
built up his red blood cells.
Once Frank’s blood supply was ready
for the surgery, he was put to sleep and
two units of his blood were extracted and
stored. Then Dr. Davis replaced the blood
with a balanced saline fluid. Dr. Vernick
was then ready to begin the procedure:
removing the pancreas, bile duct, and
some of the small intestine, then reconstructing
the digestive tract. After the surgery,
Dr. Davis then placed the two units
of blood back into Frank to replace the
blood loss during surgery.
Frank stayed in the hospital for a week,
did very well, and is now back at work.
Frank admits that the first four to five days
in the hospital were tough. "But once I got
home, things got a little easier," he says.
"Drs. Davis and Vernick were wonderful.
Everyone took great care of me, and I
am happy to be back to my family and
a new job."
 – Brenda Groeller
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