Maximizing patient outcome for vascular surgical patients

Post -operative nursing care refers to the care provided to patients who had undergone surgical procedure. This blog may help nursing students, nursing professionals and other health care providers to review recommendation on the role of nursing intervention in providing optimal care to vascular surgical patient.

Goal of post-operative nursing care in vascular surgical patient and its recommendation

Vascular surgery deals with the diagnosis and treatment of vascular system disorder such as vascular aneurysm rupture, reduces chronic leg ulcers and limb amputation, and prevents stroke due to carotid artery stenosis. After surgical procedures there are possible risks of vessel trauma, emboli, haemorrhage, infection, and other complications. Grafting and implants added more risk due to possibilities of occluding, dilate or rupture. (Cromar & Moebius, 2023.) Post-operative care is a multi-professional approach and due to its complexity high level of skills and expertise are essential components of overall management of vascular surgical patients.

Post-operative care begins right after the surgical procedure until the patient is discharged from hospital.

Post-operative care begins right after the surgical procedure until the patient is discharged from hospital. Depending on surgical procedure and patient’s health status, patient may need intensive care, long term care or short-term care. The goal of post-operative nursing care is to promote recovery, prevent complication and ensure patient outcome. Post-operative nurses are responsible to provide safe care for post-operative patients during hospital stay, so it is very important that all nursing professionals should know the nursing intervention during the care process according to patient case.

Nursing intervention on recovery process

During the enhanced recovery period, it is recommended that nurses closely monitor or assess patients and provide appropriate intervention to support patient’s health recovery process. Post-operative care includes all kind of nursing intervention activities concerning patient’s health recovery such as hemodynamic status, pain, neurological status, administration of medication, fluid/nutritional balance, wound care, mobility, lab reports, physical/emotional support etc. (Stojanovic et al, 2020.)

Nursing intervention in complication

Nursing professional competences and skills are important part of nursing intervention role, which allows nurses to understand the patient’s actual status, identify complication, detect any deterioration, prevent complication and considerably impact on quality of nursing care and safety of post-surgical patient care.  As a nurse it is essential to be updated in nursing knowledge or skill as per latest evidence practice and guidelines to provide quality care to patient.

Nursing awareness, knowledge, routine post-operative care, and documentation can improve patient’s health status as well as alert the health care professionals on patient’s health status. Nurse’s role in post-operative scenario is also to identify complication in patient’s post-operative status such as bleeding and hematoma, cranial nerve injuries, peri-operative stroke, blood pressure and cardiac events. Post-operative nursing interventions associates with patient’s regular monitoring of vitals, medical administration, wound care, nutritional or fluid balance, evaluate mobility, pain management, emotional support, and other support.

Nursing intervention in patient outcome

Patient’s positive outcome, patient’s satisfaction, comfort, and effective post-operative care are interrelated. Factors that contribute to nurses’ quality care, such as safety consideration, effective pain management and clear communication may develop trust and care environment to the patient. High quality post-operative care is more likely to have positive outcome on patients in terms of pain control, normothermia, balanced fluid/electrolyte and acid-base, wound and tissue perfusion, normal vital status etc in post-operative care.

In conclusion, post-operative nurses play essential role in maximizing patient’s outcome through appropriate intervention process after surgical procedure. All nursing professionals need to be well-appointed with the right skills, knowledge, and resources to provide the best possible care to the patients.

References

Cromar K. C., & Moebius, C. (2023). Medical-Surgical Nursing Made Incredibly Easy! Vol. 4th ed. Wolters Kluwer Health.

Stojanovic, M. D., Markovic, D. Z., Vukovic, A. Z., Dinic, V. D., Nikolic, A. N., Maricic, T. G., & Janković, R. J. (2018). Enhanced recovery after vascular surgery. Frontiers in Medicine 5(2). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5785721/

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