Meet the Experts

Dr. Michael Renfrow

General Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida

Videos

Warning Signs Of Wounds

Dr. Michael Renfrow, General Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, says with a patient that cannot move it is imperative that someone checks out their lower back, hips, elbows, and heels. "The pointy bony areas are prone to ulceration and an ulcer can progress rapidly and the key is early detection and getting treatment early." He recommends taking the patient to their medical doctor or to the Wound Care Center.

Hernia Surgery: Evolution

Dr. Michael Renfrow, General Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, says the classic approach of hernia surgery was an open approach, but now it is done by making an incision over the hernia, going down finding the hole, and closing it with stitches. "They began with laparoscopic procedures in the 1990s and with three or four small incisions, you enter the abdomen with a camera, and you come in from below and repair the hernia from inside," he points out.

Hernia: Prevention Tips

Not smoking, seeing your doctor when you are sick to avoid developing a persistent cough, maintaining a healthy body weight, and lifting objects with your knees and not your back are some of the tips to prevent a hernia. Dr. Michael Renfrow, General Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, says not smoking is the most important thing. "Some surgeons will even make patients take nicotine tests, because smoking increases the risk of infection tremendously."

Treatment Of Wounds

Dr. Michael Renfrow, General Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, explains he is one of the wound care specialists at the South Miami Wound Care Center, where they have the latest and greatest treatments to take care of wounds that are not healing and get them to close. He also says they treat any ulster wound or ulcers. "They can happen anywhere in the body, the most common patients who get ulcers are usually traumatic ulcers, or diabetic patients with ulcers in the feet or the toes."

Symptoms of a Hernia

Dr. Michael Renfrow, General Surgeon with Baptist Health South Florida, says the first two common presenting symptoms of hernia are pain and a mass in the abdominal wall, in the groin or the belly button area. He explains it can be a painless mass or a combination of the pain and the mass together. He highlights it is important to get to a healthcare professional who deals with these issues to get properly worked up. They will feel the mass to see if there is a true hole in the abdominal wall, a soft tissue mass or a hernia.

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