How do you know you're getting the number of grafts you've paid for?

[southwardfacing]

Hi everyone,

have just had a strip procedure yesterday and paid for 1500 grafts (£3 per graft). I asked the surgeon a couple of times during the procedure how many grafts he thought I would get from the strip, and told me he wouldn't know until the nurses had finished cutting them, fair enough. However it struck me as strange that his job was to prick the holes for the grafts (which he said he was counting as he went), and then for the nurses to install them, all fine. but there was no feedback to me as to the final number i was receiving. Am wondering what i should do from here and am sure i'm not the first one to have these thoughts. The company I went to are very reputable however, and the surgeon has a good rep too, with no reason necessarily to distrust him...but was thrown that there was not more communication with me even after prompting. Afterall, if they were only 100 grafts short thats still £300!

I'll put some pics up if that helps but need to wait for bandaging to come off the donor site as its covering part of the temples that received grafts as well as fringe line.

[mattj]

They should have kept a written record of the number of grafts used so you should contact them and ask for the figure.

[gillenator]

That is correct. In fact, most clinics should and do "chart" the details in your medical file (chart). This serves as the permanent record to support the procedure.

The charting should include and disclose the length and width of the strip specimen, which surgical staff was involved inclusive of the techs. What and when the patient was pre-opped, and by who. Vitals are taken and noted in the chart.

The grafts are then segregated as to the graft size (ones, twos, threes, etc) and how many singles, doubles etc were not only harvested from the strip but how many were placed back into the scalp and where placed.

There should be notes denting how many recipient incisions were made, what forms of anasthesia were involved, vascular restrictors employed, method of closure, etc, etc.

The clinic and doctor then at any point in time can pull that chart and know what exactly was done noting any other adverse reactions or occurances.

They also obviously want this information to aide in planning any subsequent procedures and also should be documeting the regrowth progress with telescopic photos over the next 12-18 months post-op.

This is only a sample of what is charted in the patient's medical file.