Postoperative care is an important part of postoperative recovery, which plays a vital role in rapid recovery and reducing the occurrence of complications after surgery. However, many people often overlook the importance of post-operative care after surgery, resulting in longer recovery times or unnecessary complications. This article will introduce some precautions for post-operative care for your reference.
Maintain a good postoperative position
After the operation, patients with medium and minor surgeries are generally sent back to the original wardPatients undergoing major surgery or critical surgery are sent to the postoperative ward (intensive care unit or observation room).Patients under general anesthesia, who are not awake at this time, should lie flat without pillows and tilt their heads to one side to prevent saliva or vomit from being inhaled into the respiratory tract and causing respiratory tract infection.
Patients with epidural anesthesia or spinal anesthesia should lie flat for 6 to 12 hours after surgery to prevent the occurrence of postoperative headachesAfter cervical, thoracic, and abdominal surgery, semi-sitting or semi-recumbent positions are often takenPatients after spine surgery should sleep on a hard bed;After limb surgery, the patient will need to elevate or traction the limb to be operated.
Assist healthcare professionals in monitoring body temperature, pulse, breathing, and blood pressure.
If the patient feels unwell, fever and rapid heartbeat, etc., it should be reported to the doctor. (Within 3 to 5 days after surgery, the body temperature is often around 38, which is called postoperative reaction fever or absorption heat, so there is no need to be nervous.) ）
Strengthen your diet
Diet after surgery also has a big impact on recovery. After the surgery, you need to avoid irritating foods and drinks, such as spicy, greasy, raw and cold, etc. Foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals such as lean meats, fish, eggs, milk, legumes, fresh vegetables and fruits should be eaten. At the same time, it is important to maintain a balanced diet and avoid overeating.
Keep the wound clean and prevent infection
The first step in post-operative care is to keep the wound clean. After surgery, the wound is susceptible to bacterial infection, so it is necessary to keep the area around the wound clean and dry. When bathing, to avoid wetting the wound, you can cover the wound with plastic wrap or plastic wrap and avoid direct contact with the wound with water. At the same time, the dressing should be changed regularly to keep the wound dry.
Early activities
Depending on the size of the surgery and the postoperative condition, we will try to get out of bed as soon as possible with the doctor's permission. This is very beneficial for increasing the depth of breathing, promoting blood circulation, restoring gastrointestinal function, and increasing appetiteIt also has a positive effect on preventing complications and promoting wound healing. For example, abdominal surgery should be done 2 to 3 days after surgeryPatients with a lot of phlegm should turn over more and press the wound with their hands to help cough and discharge sputumObese patients should move their limbs more to prevent venous thrombosis.
Take your medications on time
After the surgery, the doctor will prescribe some medications such as antibiotics, pain relievers, etc. Patients need to take their medications on time and use them correctly as instructed by their doctors. Do not stop the drug or change the dosage of the drug at will, so as not to affect the efficacy of the drug or produce ***
Pay attention to psychological adjustment
The recovery period after surgery can bring some psychological stress and discomfort. Patients need to pay attention to psychological adjustment, maintain a positive attitude and optimistic mood. Stress and anxiety can be relieved by communicating with family and friends, doing proper exercise, listening, etc.
Keep warm
After surgery, you need to keep warm and avoid getting cold. Exposure to the cold may cause the body's resistance to decrease, affecting the healing of wounds. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the room warm after surgery and avoid direct blowing or contact with cold objects such as cold water.
Follow your doctor's advice and have regular check-ups
Follow your doctor's advice for care and ** after surgery. The doctor will give corresponding suggestions and plans according to the specific situation of the patient, and the patient needs to carefully implement the doctor's advice and feedback any discomfort or abnormality to the doctor in time. During the post-operative recovery period, patients need regular follow-up examinations so that the doctor can understand the results of the surgery and how well they are recovering. During the follow-up examination, the patient can ask the doctor any questions or problems and inform the doctor of any discomfort or abnormalities.
Post-operative care is an important part of recovery after surgery. Keep the wound clean and dry, eat reasonably, rest properly, pay attention to psychological adjustment, and follow the doctor's advice for nursing and **. Only good postoperative care can promote rapid recovery and reduce the occurrence of complications after surgery.