2. General Surgery
MIS
BMS
CRS
PBS
Vascular
Plastics
Transplant
Trauma
Burn
Paediatric
3. The management of the patient after surgery.
This includes care given during the immediate
post operative period, both in the operating
room and the post anaesthesia care unit
(PACU), as well as the days following surgery.
4. Relish in your position
Enjoy the fruits of your labour in medical
school
Grow into the physician/surgeon role
You will often stand alone with the family in
the room
You are the first line of defense
5. Past Medical History
Past Surgical History
Social History
Family History
6. Past Medical History
CNS – priorTIA, CVAs, mobility post op.
CVS – CHF, prior MIs
▪ Antiplatelet agents
▪ IVF administration
Resp – COPD home O2, CPAP for OSA
FEN/GI - Renal Failure – prescribe/dose all
medications appropriately (no Enoxaparin for renal
impairment patients), dialysis days, dialysis access?
Endo – DM (no dextrose in IVF, Insulin Sliding Scale),
Steroids – dose stress steroids appropriately
7. Past Surgical History
Prior surgical intervention often makes further
surgical intervention more complex
Prior post operative issues are often relevant
again
8. Social History
Home support structure, if any
EtOH
▪ DeliriumTremens (not unique toVA system)
Smoking
▪ Pulmonary toliet, O2 requirements
Drugs
9. Family History
Familial Medical Conditions
▪ DM, CAD, amongst many others
Commonest bleeding disorder in the USA is von
Willebrands Disease
▪ Best way to determine its presence is a sound history
10. If you did the case, you may be asked to…
Write the brief operative note
Talk to the family regarding the outcome of the
surgery
Write post operative orders
Dictate the case
Skin/Fascial closure, Final dressings,
abdominal binder, transport the patient to
PACU
11. Day case surgery
Final review
Appropriate Discharge Paperwork
Discharge Prescriptions
Follow up Appointment
For Shands 352-265-0535
7:30am – 5pm, get an appointment for every pt.
Family questions
12. AdmittingTeam/Attending
Diagnosis
Condition
SpecifyVital Sign monitoring (Neuro exams?)
New Medications/Home Medications
Diet order, Mobility orders, Elevate HOB
Wound care, IVF, Analgesia, DVT prophylaxis,
Abx
NG, Foley Catheter, Drain orders
Post Op Labs and/or Imaging Ordered
ENSURETHE PATIENT IS ONTHE LIST
13. Post OperativeCheck – to be performed on
EVERY patient,ABSOLUTELY NO
EXCEPTIONS
Consists of
Chart review
▪ Surgical procedure (EBL, IVFs, intraoperative events)
▪ Pre-Operative medical/surgical conditions
▪ Pre-Admission Medications
▪ Current Post-Operative Medications
15. Finally go see the patient.
Eyeball test – comes with experience
Talk to the patient
Examine the patient
HS 1-2, Lungs, Abdomen, Incision sites
▪ Pulse check, Neurological exam
Don’t forget Drains
Volume, colour, consistency, smell
Check Line sites, IVs, a-lines,CVLs, Urinary
catheters, Chest tube sites.
16. Go back to the computer
Final chart review
Check Labs (perhaps order them)
Check Imaging (perhaps order CXR/KUB)
Monitoring (perhaps add a continuous pulse ox or
telemetry)
DOCUMENT your findings with a PLAN
With experience this takes 10mins to perform
17. Well its 3pm they’ll be out of the OR in a hour
or two I’ll tell the Chief Resident then.
I’ll call the Chief when things settle down
after intubation and transfer to the ICU.
I’ll call when I figure out exactly what’s going
on. A plan doesn’t have to be exact.
I have to work on my animal research grant
rather than check on patients overnight.
18. PACU
If called to the PACU attend immediately.
Face to face discussion with MDs or RNs and address their
concerns directly
Perform a Post Operative Check
Ordering appropriate investigations –
▪ Labs
▪ ABG, CBC, BMP, etc.,
▪ 12-lead EKG
▪ Imaging
▪ CXR, CT brain
Report concern to the OperatingTeam
Know what room they are in or where they can be found
Come with an Assessment and a PLAN
19. Keep eye on vitals
Certain Chiefs will want to be called with
information (i.e. post op checks, CT scan
results), make sure you do this.
No major moves overnight, keep watch till
morning
A change in condition of a patient, a
transfusion, or change level of care
mandates a prompt call to the primary team
20. Early post operative period
Mobilization
Incentive Spirometers
Analgesia Plan
Diet/Nutrition Plan
Wound Care Plan
Antibiotics Plan
Urinary Catheter Plan
Drain Plan
Medication review
21. Surgery Specific Management
MIS - Swallow studies
BMS - Drain care, PhysicalTherapy
CRS - NG management, Ostomy volume consistency
management
PBS - Drains for amylase, nutrition plan (TPN)
Vascular -Wound care, dialysis
Transplant - Immunosuppressive therapy, dialysis
Trauma - Follow up consult service…Disposition
Paediatric - Dose medications by pt. weight
22. Plans by System
Neurological
CVS
Respiratory
FEN/GI
Endo
ID
Haematological
Communication with ICU service
23. Write everything down on your list
Have tick boxes or equivalents to help you
manage your patient related tasks
Do not move on to the next patient until your
questions are answered
Plans may change during rounds with the
Attending Surgeon
You may be asked to ‘run the list’ and list out
your jobs with the patients
24. Daily notes to be written on all in-patients no
exceptions
Daily notes on consults
Laboratory investigations
AM labs ordered?
AM CXR ordered?
Electrolytes replaced?
Daily contact with consulting Services
25. Identify with your team your ‘sickest’ patients
and ensure their tasks are performed first
Put in all orders on all patients at once
Call consults early (UF Surgery is not like
certain services that drop the 5:30pm
bombshell)
Half fill in boxes of tasks that have follow up
CT scan order and reviewed
26. Gradual return to preoperative state
Improved mobility and mood
Reduction in IVF, toleration of PO intake
Return to home medication regiment
Return of Bowel Activity (flatus then BMs)
Reduced Analgesia requirements and transition to
oral pain medications.
Wound healing
Disposition and home environment
27. Look better/feels better
No fever, normalVS, normal WCC, stable
HCT/plt count, normal electrolytes
Mobilisation of fluid
Spontaneously negative I/O fluid balance
Patient crosses legs in bed and starts to
complain about hospital food
28. Fever
RisingWCC
Drop in HCT, Hb
Electrolyte imbalance
Drain output change
Reduced Urine Output
Pt has little to say for him/herself
Surgery Specific Concerns
POD 5 Colorectal pt with fever, elevated WCC
Salmon coloured fluid escaping from a previously dry
abdominal wound
29. Arrest
Sudden change in mental status
Sudden respiratory compromise
Sudden cardiovascular embarrassment
Audible Bleeding
32. Know your surgical procedures and their
expected post operative courses
Attention to detail
Check vitals carefully looking for clues
▪ Tachycardia (gradually developing)
▪ Tachypnoea (gradually developing)
Dare to think
33. Eyeball
Distressed, obtunded, tachypnoeic, tachycardic
Vital Signs
IV access?
Lines working
Finger stick glucose
Labs
Imaging
Monitoring (continuous pulse ox, telemetry)
Level of care (floor, IMC, ICU)
34. Contact senior resident early with concerns
and Plan
Communication continues until resolution of
the concern (may occur over days)
Follow through on plan – CT scan etc…
36. Date/Time/Venue on all notes
Time of incident to time of initiation of legal
action averages 18 months, how good is your
memory?
37. Call your covering chief with information
regarding –
Current state of patient
Your working diagnosis
Your plan of action
You will receive gentle guidance
Calling is what you are expected to do
As your experience level increases you will
feel more confident and identify routine
calls from serious pathology.
38. Communicate, ask questions
Be proactive
Know and utilize allied staff
Instruct and utilize students
Be detail oriented and document thoroughly
Be seen around the OR
39. Being rude to allied/nursing staff
Assuming an order equivalates action
Assuming anything
Calling without an assessment and plan
Making students do your work
Text anything urgent/emergent/HIPAA
related
Take pictures on your phone
40. Tertiary Level UniversityTeaching and
AcademicCenter
We take the cases that local and sometimes
distant hospitals refer to us for ‘Complexity of
Care’
Level 1Trauma care for the local population
41. Standards are high
Expectations are high
You are all here for a reason
Everyone here is capable of performing the
tasks required
42. ‘I have given my name and day clothes to the
nurses and my history to the anaesthetist and my
body to surgeons.’
Excerpt from ‘Tulips’ by Sylvia Plath 1961
QUESTIONS?
Trajan A. Cuellar MB BCh MRCSI
352-413-0313 (pager)
352-642-2704 (mobile)