Whether you have minor or major surgery, you should always look for post op vital signs and any complications. You can prevent complications by monitoring yourself after surgery, whether it is a weight loss surgery done by Tonic Weight Loss Surgery or a small appendix surgery.
If you think you are overreacting, you can just look at recent cases where many hernia sufferers were experiencing difficulties after surgery. After concerns arose from immense pain following hernia surgeries, many have come forward with their own post-surgery stories involving a faulty hernia mesh.
In the first few weeks following your surgery, you should inspect incisions daily and look for signs of infection. This is the biggest problem that most people face after surgery.
Your surgeon may provide antibiotics and pain medication to overcome these issues. What else should you do following invasive surgery? Here are a few tips.
What are Important Post Op Vital Signs?
Post op vital signs are referred to as those vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) after a major surgery. This is an indication of your overall system’s function. For instance, blood pressure indicates if your circulatory system is working fine or if there’s an issue.
Some important post-op vital signs include the following:
- Heart rate
- Blood pressure
- Respiratory rate
- Oxygen saturation
Other vital signs that should be monitored include – temperature (which can indicate an infection), wound, IV infusions, swallowing or gagging, and level of consciousness.
These are essential to monitor so the patient’s health can recover uninterrupted.
Common Post Operative Vital Signs to Monitor
Post-op or vital signs after an operation are important indicators of a patient’s recovery after surgery. Especially if they have undergone invasive surgery. This is an important aspect of their health that must be monitored closely with complete precaution.
Some of the common post operative vital signs that are monitored include:
Heart Rate –
This is a vital sign monitored to ensure proper circulation in the upper circulatory system.
Blood Pressure –
This vital sign measures the blood against the artery walls. This indicates complications and helps identify and treat hypotension early on.
Respiratory rate –
This is an important aspect that indicates clinical decline in the patient. It can also help predict complications in unstable patients better than the above two indicators.
Oxygen Saturation –
This vital sign is often monitored to detect low oxygen levels that indicate a serious drop in oxygen levels. This can indicate pain, residual anaesthetic drugs or surgical injury.
Level of Consciousness –
This is another essential post op vital sign that the sedative or anaesthesia may impair. Checking this as a post op indicator can tell if the patient’s health is recovering well.
Things To Do After Invasive Surgery?
Now that you know all about the common post op vital signs, here are some of the things that you should do after surgery.
These are some of the essential things that you must do to ensure proper recovery.
Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions
After your surgery, your doctor should leave with instructions on what to do. This includes things like no baths after your procedure or no swimming.
You may not be able to lift anything heavy, and your doctor may recommend bed rest for several days or weeks.
You must listen to these instructions and follow them closely for the best possible recovery.
Go to Your Follow-Up Appointments
Your doctor wants to make sure that your surgery was successful and that you aren’t experiencing too much pain. Follow-up appointments may seem unnecessary, but it’s a good idea to always go to the appointment and check what the doctor says.
There may be another step that you have to take before you are completely clear to go back to work or you could have serious complications that only a doctor can find through X-rays.
Take Steps to Prevent Infection
You should never touch your incision with unclean hands. Before changing your bandages, you should always clean your hands or ensure that the person changing them has washed their hands.
This is the easiest thing you can do to avoid bacterial infections following your surgery. You can also look at your incision and see if there is an obvious pink or red colour forming around the wound.
You should also make sure that any stitches or staples are still intact. If you see any form of redness and experience pain, you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of infection.
Remember to Eat Healthy and Hydrate
Many patients have complained of weight loss following surgery because they’re not hungry or don’t feel like making food for themselves while on pain medication.
This is why it’s important to have someone with you who can help make your favourite meals and ensure you are properly hydrated.
The last thing you want to do is get ill after surgery, as your body is still trying to repair itself.
Take Care of Your Wounds
While washing your hands is very important, you also want to change your incision dressings according to the doctor’s recommendations.
You also should not remove scabs, or rub them with alcohol peroxide, or other cleaning agents. If your doctor tells you to use something on your wounds, then it’s a good idea. Otherwise, you should gently wash your wound with soap and water.
Wrapping It Up!
That was all about the different posts op vital signs that can tell you all about the patient’s recovery status. These indicators tell you how the patient adapts to the new conditions.
Sometimes a patient may have undergone a major surgery such as an open-heart surgery that requires them to adjust to the new conditions. Thus, seeking the best approach to monitoring the patient until full/major recovery is important.
So, let us know all the different ways you are taking care of a recently discharged person.
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