[ ARC forum 2 ]

Finer points

Written by Paul B. at 08 Feb 2003 11:38:36:

As an answer to: Re: Being Intact written by Rood at 07 Feb 2003 20:48:56:

> I believe that they charge anything from $500.00 to $2,000.00 for the five minute procedure.

Actually, unless the Gomco clamp or similar is used, I don't think it is fair to call it a "five minute procedure". For starters, there is the anaesthetic time, using local anaesthetic (and considerably longer if using a general anaesthetic, including the drip, plus recovery time), which includes at least five minutes to allow it to diffuse fully into the area and provide complete anaesthesia.

{Actually, the use of local anaesthetic is a two-edged sword - the "bulge" it causes can make it easier to discern the tissues, and lifts the skin away from underlying structures (e.g. nerves), providing them with some extra protection, but may make it more difficult to cut a straight line (in terms of scar appearance) and makes it a little more messy when cutting, especially diathermy-cutting (I really hate the smoke plume), as the anaesthetic oozes back out again.}

I find it takes at least a quarter hour to fully prepare and execute a removal of a small skin lesion, and an adult circumcision (as I said, clamps are generally not used) involves much more fiddling and stitching, always requiring diathermy to control the bleeding. I would say twenty minutes for a slick (or sloppy?) operator, and thirty on average.

Perhaps this wasn't what you were looking for, however.


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