General Surgery
Dr James Askew is an experienced Queensland trained general surgery. He completed his extra-post fellowship training in Melbourne and New Zealand and has been in private practice at the Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital since 2014.
His general surgical interests include diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract as well as hernia repair.
With extensive experience in performing general laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery, Dr Askew specialises in cholecystectomy (gallbladder surgery), fundoplication (surgery for the treatment of reflux and heartburn), inguinal hernia repair, abdominal hernia repair.
General Surgery
Dr James Askew offers the following General Surgery Procedures:
Dr James Askew is an experienced Queensland trained general surgery. He completed his extra-post fellowship training in Melbourne and New Zealand and has been in private practice at the Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital since 2014.
His general surgical interests include diseases of the upper gastrointestinal tract as well as hernia repair.
With extensive experience in performing general laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery, Dr Askew specialises in cholecystectomy (gallbladder surgery), fundoplication (surgery for the treatment of reflux and heartburn), inguinal hernia repair, abdominal hernia repair,
Gallbladder Surgery
The gallbladder lies underneath the liver in the right side of the upper abdomen. It stores and concentrates a small amount of bile, which aids in the digestion of food. Unfortunately the liquid bile salts can become too concentrated and form solid gallstones. Gallstones can remain silent and not cause any difficulties. However, they may cause right sided upper abdominal pain and nausea after meals. More serious complications of gallstones can occur such as cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), pancreatitis, and cholangitis (infection in the bile duct).
Removing troublesome gallstones involves undergoing surgery to remove the entire gallbladder – a cholecystectomy. The surgery is performed via laparoscopy (keyhole) under a general anaesthetic. Usually a one night hospital stay is required after surgery and then you are well enough to continue to recover at home. It can take up to a fortnight to fully recover from a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and anaesthetic and be fit to return to work.
Hernias (Inguinal / Femoral / Incisional / Umbilical)
The term ‘hernia’ refers to a protrusion of an organ through a weakness in the muscle or tissue that usually holds it in place. Hernias are a common occurrence and they occur in the groin (inguinal or femoral hernia) and umbilical regions. They can also occur at previous abdominal scars (incisional hernia), or even within the abdominal cavity (hiatus hernia).
Hernias can range from being small and relatively trouble free to large (containing bowel) and problematic. Small hernias that do not cause any pain may not require an operation. Over time small hernias can enlarge and become painful. If a hernia contains bowel there is a small risk that the bowel can become trapped (or ‘incarcerated’) and not be able to be reduced back into the abdominal cavity. This is a surgical emergency.
Hernia repair surgery can often be performed laparoscopically (keyhole surgery), to help minimise discomfort and improve the post-operative recovery. Usually two weeks of no exercise is required after hernia surgery. To allow the hernia repair to fully heal then six weeks of no strenuous activity or heavy lifting is suggested.
Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease and Hiatus Hernias
Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) occurs when stomach acid creeps up into the oesophagus. The stomach produces acid to help digest food and is designed for the low pH environment. Unlike the stomach the oesophagus is very sensitive to acid and acid refluxing into the oesophagus can causes central chest pain (‘heartburn’). Reflux can also cause upper abdominal discomfort (indigestion), difficulties swallowing food as well as regurgitation. A hiatus hernia – where the stomach slips up into the thoracic cavity – may predispose you to reflux symptoms.
Usually GORD can be successfully treated with lifestyle modifications (e.g. avoiding causative foods/drinks, weight loss) or proton pump inhibitor medications. Surgery for the treatment of GORD may play a role if significant symptoms persist despite lifestyle changes and medications. A fundoplication ‘wraps’ the stomach fundus around the lower end of the oesophagus to help prevent acid from entering the oesophagus. Hiatal hernias are repaired at the time of surgery. A Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass is perhaps the ‘gold standard’ anti-reflux operation, which may be an appropriate operation in the setting of GORD and obesity.
Following a Fundoplication, you will be required to have a modified diet for a short period of time and we can facilitate appointments with our highly skilled dietitians for education surrounding this.
Skin Cancer Surgery
Dr Askew is happy to perform excisions for skin cancers that may not be possible in a GP Practice. These can include squamous cell carcinomas (SCC’s), basal cell carcinomas (BCC’s) and Melanomas. Please note that Dr Askew does not perform skin excisions in his consulting suites and all surgery is performed in the operating theatres. Operating theatres offer the comfort of an anaesthetic (either general anaesthetic or twilight sedation) which may be required for the excision of larger lesions. Larger skin cancers may require a full thickness or split skin graft to repair the excised cancer site.
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