Post Operative Care

Postoperative care is the care you receive after a surgical procedure. It is a vital aspect of patient care which we take seriously at Grandville medical and laser. It often includes, recovery from Anaesthesia , pain management , wound care and management of other co-morbidities. The goal of postoperative care is to prevent complications, promote healing of the surgical site/s, and to ensure that you return to a good state of health.

The type of care you will receive depends on the type of surgery you intend to have, as well as your pre existing health history.

Postoperative care for most people usually begins immediately after surgery. In our facility, It begins right from the first consultation in the doctors office, in the theater and lasts through the duration of your hospital stay and continues after you’ve been discharged.

As part of your postoperative care, during consultation, you are provided with adequate information on the procedure and also taught about what to expect during the recovery period , the potential side effects and complications of the procedure. These information are communicated verbally and also a hard copy detailing everything one should know about the procedure . The patient is encouraged to take this copy home and go through it carefully before the scheduled day of surgery.

As such, the patient becomes mentally and emotionally prepared of some of the discomforting and unpleaseant things that might arise after surgery and will face them better when encountered.
Depending on how the surgery went and how well the recovery process is, adjustments will continually be made to revise some of the instructions in an individual post operative care.

After your surgery is over, you will be moved to a recovery room. You’ll probably stay there for a couple of hours while you wake up from anesthesia. You’ll feel groggy when you wake up. Some people also feel nauseated and a little discomfort in the throat. This discomfort is as a result of a device which is passed through the airway to assist yo with breathing while you are on general anaesthesia . It is usually removed as soon as surgery is over and you are now able to initiate adequate spontaneous respiration. Depending on your oxygen saturation , you might be placed on oxygen by face mask or nasal prongs. Urine output is monitored with the aid of an indwelling urinary catheter which has been in pace through out the surgery and usually removed after 24hrs unless otherwise stated.

While you’re in the recovery room, you will be connected to a multi-parameter patient monitor which will enable a stand-by nursing staff to monitor your level of conciousness and vital signs like blood pressure, breathing, oxygen saturation, temperature, and pulse. They may ask you to take deep breaths to assess your lung function. They may check your surgical site for signs of bleeding or infection. They will also watch for signs of an allergic reaction. Ted stockings/ pneumatic compression machine and appropriate compression garments are compulsory in our facility as part of intra/post operative care to help improve circulation in the limbs and control swelling /inflammation respectively.

Once you’re stable, you’ll be moved to a hospital room if you’re staying overnight, or you’ll be moved elsewhere to begin your discharge process if you are a day case or an out patient.

While in your room, a nurse is stationed on standby to closely monitor vital signs and recovery process. They usually follow post operative instructions written by the surgeons on expected minor complications like vomiting and how to intervene before calling for help is the need arises.

They may also give you pain relievers or other medications . On your first post operative day, your hemoglobin level will be checked to make sure your blood level is optimal, you will be encouraged to get up and walk around. Our nurses are readily available to render assistance to do this. Moving will help decrease your chances of developing blood clots. It can also help you maintain your muscle strength. You may be asked to do deep breathing exercises or forced coughing to prevent respiratory complications.

Your discharge will be determined by your overall clinical assessment made by our doctors . You will be duly informed as well as discharge instructions communicated properly on how to use your take home drugs and care for yourself at home before you leave. A massage therapist ,if needed will be assigned to visit you everyday for your daily lymphatic drainage massage.
Our follow up appointments are usually on the 4th ,10th and 14th post operative days on which you are expected to visit the hospital for check up assuming you are otherwise well. Due to our individualised type of care, you might be scheduled differently depending on the outcome of your last assessement. Incase of any emergency, you can visit any of our branches or call our help line for immediate attention at all times.