Best Waiting Time Between Surgeries

A waiting period between surgeries sometimes is recommended due to the safety of anesthesia used multiple times for surgeries in a short time window, and to allow for optimal recovery before a new procedure. It's not always possible when emergency surgeries are needed for immediate treatment. In these cases, the risk of delay is greater than the best timing.

With elective surgeries, though, there isn't always a compelling reason to rush. They correct problems that aren't life-threatening and often can be postponed. For example, an estimated 72% of elective surgeries were canceled in a 12-week window during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article discusses the timing of multiple surgeries and the benefits and risks of waiting. It also offers some tips on how to know when you're ready for your next surgery.

Weighing Benefits Against Harm

People who have a dozen or more surgeries within the span of a month tend to be the sickest people in the hospital. They may be trauma patients who need repeated surgeries to repair broken bones. They may be burn patients who need multiple skin grafts that cannot wait.

If waiting poses no potential problems, however, back-to-back surgeries within a short period of time can be avoided. This can help to limit complications and improve recovery. Some surgeons and anesthesiologists use a Surgical Apgar Score (SAS), similar to the kind used for newborns, to predict surgery complication risks. These complications can include:

• Pulmonary (lung) function problems
• Heart and circulatory (blood flow) issues
• Leaking after an anastomosis procedure
• Infection of surgical-site incisions
• Metabolic disruptions or changes

Although the SAS and a similar tool used by the American Society of Anesthesiologists are relatively new, a study of 32,555 people who had surgery with anesthesia showed its benefits in predicting the risks. It may help in determining the best waiting time between surgeries.

Recommended Waiting Time

Surgeons vary on how long they want people to wait between procedures. Healthcare providers will recommend waiting six to 12 weeks between surgeries. They also may insist on an interval in which people stop smoking (a known surgery risk), lose weight, or otherwise prepare first.

Some factors may shorten the timeline. For example, an elective procedure to treat a bowel obstruction in people with colon cancer essentially changes an emergency situation into an elective option. Outcomes may be better if it's done within a week of the original surgery to place a stent.

Open heart surgery is a good example of a procedure that should have longer wait times. Any surgery that takes many hours under general anesthesia is going to have a much longer recovery time than a quick surgery you can recover from at home.

Sometimes it takes several surgeries across months and years to correct a congenital (at birth) defect. Wait times typically depend on what the surgeon's treatment plan is.

How Many Times Is It Safe to Go Under Anesthesia?

The number of times it is safe to go under anesthesia will depend on your specific situation, the types of procedures, and any co-occurring health problems. For most people, anesthesia is safe but the risks increase for people with heart disease, lung problems, and other conditions.

The length of time anesthesia is needed will vary with the procedure; a heart transplant, for example, will require anesthesia for six to 12 hours. In some cases, the procedure may take even longer.

Talk with your surgeon and anesthesiologist about the type of anesthesia, your options, and how long and how often it is safe for you to be under anesthesia.

Making an Informed Choice

If you can choose when to have your surgeries, it's a good idea to wait until you feel fully recovered from your first surgery before considering the second one. This means feeling 100% as good or better than you did before the first surgery.

If that's not reasonable given your condition, wait until you feel as good as you can possibly expect to feel. You shouldn't feel fatigued or in pain from the surgery. Your incision should be completely healed, and you should be back to doing your daily activities without difficulty.

This doesn't necessarily mean that you will be fully recovered. Some major surgeries may take up to a year of rehabilitation. Rather, you should be in the right condition to recover from the second surgery in the usual period of time.

Your surgeon will help you with your decision by providing details on expected recovery times. You'll also discuss what might be best for you as an individual.

Average Recovery Times

Robotics and other surgical advances continue to improve recovery times. These are the current average recovery times for various procedures:

• Lumbar spinal fusion: 3 to 6 months
• Endonasal brain surgery, brain surgery performed through the nose: 3 to 4 months
• Coronary artery bypass: 6 to 12 weeks
• Kidney transplant: 6 to 8 weeks
• Open heart surgery: 6 to 8 weeks
• Thyroidectomy: 3 to 8 weeks
• Cesarean section: 6 weeks
• Coronary angioplasty: 1 to 2 weeks
• Gallbladder removal: 4 to 6 weeks
• Hysterectomy: 4 to 6 weeks
• Appendectomy: 1 to 4 weeks
• Modified mastectomy: 2 to 3 weeks
• Cataract removal: 2 weeks

These recovery times can range from just a few days (as with local anesthesia commonly used during an elective vasectomy) to a year for full recovery from a total knee or hip replacement.

Summary

Waiting times between surgeries vary depending on the situation. Emergency surgeries may need to be done close together. Most elective surgeries, though, should be spaced out to give you time to recover.

If you need two different surgeries, the one that corrects the worst problem will be done first. The second one should be done after you are back to doing your normal daily activities.

Different surgeries have different recovery times. Work with your surgeon to decide how much time you will need between one procedure and another.