Postoperative Care

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Postoperative care is the management of a patient’s health during the postoperative period. This typically begins when the patient is transferred from the operating suite to the post-anesthesia care unit, or PACU for short, and lasts until the patient is discharged from the health care facility.

Now, the most common complications during the postoperative period include pain, hemorrhage, hypothermia, and infection at the site of the surgery, called surgical site infection, or SSI for short, as well as wound dehiscence and evisceration. There can also be respiratory complications, like airway obstruction, laryngospasm, pneumonia, atelectasis, and pulmonary embolism.

Cardiovascular complications can also occur, such as hypotension, hypertension, and dysrhythmias. Patients can also develop nervous system complications, including delirium and delayed emergence from anesthesia. On the other hand, gastrointestinal complications include postoperative nausea and vomiting, constipation, and postoperative ileus; while urinary complications can manifest as urinary retention and urinary tract infections. Finally, fluid and electrolyte imbalances can also occur.

Okay, let’s look at the care you’ll provide to your patient during the postoperative period. Your priority goals of care are to promote your patient’s recovery by managing pain, supporting oxygenation and cardiovascular stability, maintaining fluid balance, providing wound care, monitoring bowel function, and preventing complications.

First, obtain a handoff report from the PACU nurse. Then, perform an initial assessment of your patient’s incision site, dressings, and surgical drains, and perform dressing changes, wound care, and maintain patency and suction of surgical drains, as needed. Also check their IV site, as well as the IV solutions, and infusion rate.

Sources

  1. "Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing E-Book" Elsevier Health Sciences (2022)
  2. "Medical-surgical nursing: Concepts for interprofessional and collaborative care" Elsevier Health Sciences (2021)