General surgery

Fast assessment and treatment for abdominal concerns

At The Meriden Hospital, our Consultant General Surgeons provide diagnosis and treatment for a wide range of abdominal and digestive tract conditions. They would be delighted to help you too.

Your digestive tract (gastrointestinal/GI tract) stretches from mouth to anus and consists of:

Upper GI – Comprises the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and first part of the small intestine
Lower GI – Comprises the small intestine, large intestine, anus and rectum
HBP (Hepato Pancreato Biliary) – Comprises the liver, pancreas and gallbladder

Should something go wrong in any of these parts, it may cause a number of concerning symptoms to appear such as abdominal pain or a change in bowel habits.

General Surgery also investigates and treats hernias and unexplained ‘lumps and bumps’ in the abdomen.

If you are concerned about pain anywhere in your abdomen or have experienced a change in your bowel habits, it is important to seek expert assessment and advice.

Due to the complexity of the GI tract, many problems can have overlapping symptoms. Common reason people visit with our Consultant General Surgeons for help include:

Acid reflux – stomach acid passes up the throat and causes heartburn
Bloating and swelling (distention)
Blood in vomit
Blood in your stool – may be visible or hidden (occult)
Change in bowel habits
Pain in the upper or lower abdomen
Lump or bump in the abdomen
Jaundice (yellow discolouration of skin or urine)

While these symptoms do not always mean that something is wrong, it is worth seeking expert assessment as they may point towards a number of conditions. Some of the common conditions your Consultant will want to rule out for these symptoms include:

Cancer - oesophagus, large bowel (colon or rectum), liver, bile duct or pancreas
IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) – Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis
Indigestion (dyspepsia)
Diverticular disease – inflammation of a small pocket of tissue (diverticula) in the lining of the large intestine
Polyps - small fleshy raised areas. May sometimes turn cancerous if left untreated
Gallstones
Liver abscess
GERD/GORD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
Hernia – inguinal, femoral, umbilical, incisional, epigastric, hiatus

The treatment you receive will depend on the condition you have and the severity of your symptoms. Treatment may be non-surgical or surgical.

For some conditions, lifestyle factors like weight loss, exercise and dietary changes may help to relieve your symptoms and prevent reoccurrences in the future.

Prescribed medication can help a number of conditions such as acid reflux.

If surgery is required, many problems within the GI tract or abdomen can be treated with keyhole surgery (laparoscopy). Laparoscopy may be used gall bladder removal, hernia repair, removal of an inflamed appendix or removal of a spleen (splenectomy).

Benign (non-cancerous) skin lesions may be surgically excised (cut out).

If gallstones are causing problems, surgical removal of the gall bladder (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) may be advised.

Treatment will always be planned for your specific needs and what will be best for you.

Given the complexity of the GI tract and the variety of symptoms possible, your Consultant will want to work out what is causing your specific symptoms as soon as possible.

When you meet with them, they will take a detailed medical history and will ask you about your symptoms. They will want to know:

What symptoms you have?
When these symptoms first appeared?
Whether your symptoms have become progressively worse?
If anything (food, movement etc.) causes your symptoms to flare up?
Whether you have any particular concerns about your symptoms (for example, are you worrying that you may have bowel cancer?)

Hernias are usually quite straightforward to diagnose, as your Consultant will be able to see a visible lump where the hernia is.

Surface skin lesions may be referred to our colleagues in Dermatology, although if it is just under the skin, we may be able to look at a simple excision to remove it.

Many GI tract symptoms are best investigated with endoscopy. An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube with a camera and light at the end. When it is introduced into the body, either at the mouth (for a Gastroscopy) or via the rectum (for a Colonoscopy), it provides excellent views of that part of the GI tract, allowing your Consultant to look for any abnormalities, swellings or areas of concern.

A small sample of tissue (biopsy) may be taken during this procedure, which will then be sent away for further analysis.

You will normally be given some sedation for a Gastroscopy or Colonoscopy. While they aren’t painful, they may be a bit uncomfortable.

In addition to endoscopy and biopsy, other investigations that may be used to aid diagnosis include blood tests, MRI scan, CT scan and Ultrasound. These are all easily arranged for you on-site at The Meriden Hospital if required.

Once the results of any investigations are back, your Consultant will draw up a personalised treatment plan for your condition. Treatment may involve:

Whatever treatment you require, your Consultant will discuss it with you so that you know what to expect, the benefits you should expect to see and any risk or potential complications you should be aware of before making a decision. If you have any questions or concerns, they will be very happy to talk these through with you.

People visit our Consultant General Surgeons for a variety of reasons. Many are referred by their GP, another healthcare professional or their private medical insurance provider.

We treat patients with private medical insurance or those using one of our self-pay options.

Some people live in Coventry itself, while others travel from other parts of Warwickshire to benefit from the expertise of our Consultants.

When you choose to visit The Meriden Hospital for your General Surgery consultation, you will benefit from:

Rapid assessment – When you have abdominal symptoms concerning enough to warrant seeking medical advice, you won’t want to be waiting weeks (or even months) to be seen. At The Meriden Hospital, our team of experienced Consultant General Surgeons can see you quickly. Earlier assessment and diagnosis means you’ll see the benefits of any treatment needed sooner.
Fast diagnostic turnaround time – With on-site radiologists able to report on any scans, any test results will be back with your Consultant quickly, enabling a diagnosis and treatment plan to be made faster.
Recommended by patients – In an independent survey, 96.5% of patients said they were likely or highly likely to recommend us to family and friends. We aim to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible, and these results highlight our continued efforts to ensure you receive the highest level of care and support during your time with us.
Personalised care – There is no ‘one size fits all’ for General Surgery concerns and we believe in a bespoke approach to treatment, tailoring it to your specific needs and whatever may be best for you.
A whole team approach – Our teams at The Meriden Hospital work closely with one another to provide you with the best possible care from start to finish. This is especially important in General Surgery, where your Consultant regularly liaises with specialists in other fields, including dermatology, oncology, plastic surgery, radiology, physiotherapy and anaesthetics. This multidisciplinary team approach ensures you will receive support from the most appropriate specialist at all times.
Free* Parking – We know that parking should be the least of your worries when attending hospital, so to make life easier our 80-space car park is free of charge. *To validate your parking, just register your car with us at Reception when you first arrive.