The level of postoperative care is determined depending on the type of procedure and the patient’s health history. Some of the primary critical concerns are mental health status, wound healing, pain control, and airway protection. At the same time, prevention of urinary retention, blood pressure variability, fever, deep venous thrombosis, constipation and loss of muscle mass are other vital concerns that include postoperative care. This type of care includes wound care and pain management to ease the process of healing and recovery.
The Goal of Postoperative Care
The goal of postoperative care is to ensure proper recovery and prevent complications that may harm the patient’s neurological, pulmonary, and infectious systems, renal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and haematological, among others. It also focuses on patient recovery from various side effects caused by the surgical procedure. As part of postoperative care, the doctor is responsible for informing patients about possible side effects and possible complications of post-operative surgery.
The postoperative treatment goals also include increasing patients’ strength, endurance and flexibility. Depending on how the surgery went and how well the patient is recovering, the doctor may change some of their recommendations after the procedure.
Types of Postoperative Care
The two types of postoperative care are inpatient care, known as postoperative hospital care and home-based care, known as postoperative home care. We explain in detail what these two types of care mean.
Postoperative Hospital Care
After medical surgery is completed, based on the type of surgery, patients might need to stay in the initial recovery room for a certain period. Following the instructions of the surgeon and the doctor, the patient receives proper care from the medical staff and the trained peri-operative nurses during this time. Doctors could ask you to stand up and take a few steps depending on how you feel. To avoid respiratory issues, patients might be asked to do some deep breathing exercises or forced coughing. They might also look for symptoms of bleeding or infection, local skin abnormalities, and allergies because general and local anaesthesia can cause these reactions.
The medical team provides guidance and full care, from monitoring vitals to regular check-ups on the wound. There is a great opportunity for family members to learn through observation how they can assist their loved ones when it comes to knowing how to support the patient to walk and sit, how to maintain their hygiene, how to position them and other important things to remember when supporting their family member. When they are safe to move, patients are encouraged to move as much as possible being aware of risks that could harm them after surgery. This is important to avoid blood clots. Some blood may stagnate in the legs if the patient stays in bed too long, meaning patients have a higher risk of forming blood clots.
Medical staff should check vital signs every four hours until they are stable after the patient is discharged from the recovery room and then every eight hours, depending on how the patient is doing.
Postoperative Home Care
Following hospital discharge, patients should receive care that entails taking prescribed medicines, watching out for complications, following dietary recommendations, attending scheduled appointments, and engaging in the prescribed physical activity.
The long process of postoperative care can distress the patient and their family. Furthermore, post-operative care demands a high level of medical awareness and readiness to act when faced with complications or side effects. It’s preferable to allow medical professionals to manage it, whilst giving your loved one comfort and support.
Our exceptional carers at Leaf Complex Care are ready to efficiently deliver the appropriate care and support in the comfort of your own home. The safety of your loved one is our priority, and our humanised work reflects through the nurturing care of their personal and health care needs.
Services Offered During Postoperative Care
Post-operative care services ensure an effective and quick recovery with high clinical skills. There are many services provided by medical professionals that put the patient as a priority in order to have a safe and comfortable recovery. During this time, the medical staff provides clinical care procedures by monitoring, and watching the surgical cut in case of infection, wound bleeding signs, and other severe complications. One of the many services postoperative care provides may include:
- Personal care that is tailored to the patient's needs
- Assistance with mobility
- Wound care
- Physical therapy
- Assistance with Medications
- Diet compliance
The doctor can obtain major information about the patient’s medical history by monitoring vital signs such as pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. The normal procedures and frequent measurements may continue in the recovery room. Blood pressure and respiratory rate are of major importance during anaesthesia recovery because they indicate hemodynamic stability and the extent of anaesthetic reversal. For the first 24 hours after your surgery, nausea from the anaesthetics may occur.
Early ambulation is extremely important in improving the diaphragmatic excursion after patients’ surgery. According to doctors’ instructions, patients typically ambulate within 12 hours of surgery as part of the normal ambulation process. Patients are instructed to cough and breathe deeply to reduce pulmonary ventilation further.
With adequate pain management, early ambulation and a reduction in general stress are made possible. Different methods of pain management are becoming more and more acceptable, and such as when an anesthesiologist inserts an epidural catheter to manage pain adequately. Paying close attention to the patient’s response is crucial.
There will always be some pain after surgery. As soon as you experience pain, let your nurse know so they can administer drugs as quickly as possible. The signs of pain will improve and prevent it from worsening (drugs can take up to twenty minutes to start functioning). The patient receives care in the hospital until they are discharged.
Who is Postoperative Care for?
Patients needing extra help recovering from the surgery are provided with post-operative care created explicitly for patients. Some individuals are more likely than others to require postoperative care, including:
- Patients with a physical procedure - While recovering from some procedures, such as knee replacement surgery, patients may experience mobility problems for up to three months.
- Older people - Older adults are far more prone than other age categories to need postoperative care due to decreased physical capacity. A range of postoperative care services, such as medication management or support with hygiene routines, will be provided by teams with many years of experience working with older people.
- Family members - Many patients frequently rely on their relatives to assist them with various duties the days after surgery. Post-operative care helps family members by reducing the stress in their lives, whether by buying groceries or just being there to support them.
Nearly all patients undergoing complex surgery (including cardiac surgery and neurosurgery) have postoperative intermediate or intensive care (ASA physical status I and II), even if they had no substantial underlying systemic disorders. Patients with cancer, a previous history of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, obesity, congestive heart failure, and those using oral contraceptives should also receive postoperative care with the appropriate medications due to their post-surgical condition.
Patients should rest in bed first, then go to a chair, stand, and exercise as much as is safe given their surgical and medical condition as soon as possible. Their discharge will be affected by how quickly their health improves.
Benefits of Postoperative Care
Postoperative care provided by a qualified caregiver or nurse is important for recovering patients. Here are some benefits of receiving postoperative nursing care:
- Enhanced Recovery
- Reduced Side Effects and Complications
- Improved Life Quality
- Regaining Control over Personal Aspects of Life
Complications that can be prevented with postoperative care
Postoperative complications can happen after the surgery is completed but were not intended to occur. Doctors take steps before, during and after surgery so they can reduce the risk of complications. Despite being cautious, doctors are fully aware of the common risk and complications that may frequently occur after surgery.
Knowing that some postoperative complications are related to the procedure you had, such as wound infections, is essential. They can occur after any operation. There are immediate complications (up to 48 hours or three days after the surgery), early complications (in the few weeks after the surgery) and late complications ( years afterwards).
These are the most common postoperative complications that occur:
- Shock
- Haemorrhage
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Urinary Retention
- Loss of Muscular Ability
- Fever
- Lung Complications
What Can Leaf Complex Care Do For You?
Our mission at Leaf Complex Care is to meet every need of the people we support, allowing faster healing and a more comfortable pace at home.
Our experienced caregivers will address your concerns with the professional care and support they provide. Your loved ones are in safe hands and will get the proper physical and emotional support during their recovery in the comfort of their own home.
Our services allow the individuals we support to live comfortably and improve their life quality.
Let your healing journey start with Leaf Complex Care and our humanised care. From arranging tailored care and initial assessments to kind and dedicated carers, we are always ready to support our service user families.
Contact us and find care that’s proper for your loved ones.
Quick Summary
- Postoperative care is the kind of treatment a patient receives after surgery. In the recovery room, it starts after an operation is finished and lasts during inpatient and outpatient stays for a certain period.
- The goal of postoperative care is to prevent problems impairing the patient's neurological, pulmonary, and infectious systems.
- There are two types of postoperative care: postoperative hospital care and postoperative home care.
- Our exceptional carers at Leaf Complex Care are ready to efficiently deliver the appropriate support and care in the comfort of your own home. The safety of your loved one is our priority, and our humanised work reflects through the nurturing care of their personal and health care needs.
