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Topic 3-6
Recovery Room Care

The postoperative phase lasts from the patient's admission to the recovery room through the complete recovery from surgery. The recovery room is defined as a specific nursing unit, which accommodates patients who have undergone major or minor surgery. Following the operation, the patient is carefully moved from the operating table to a wheeled stretcher or bed and transferred to the recovery room. The patient usually remains in the recovery room until he begins to respond to stimuli.

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

• Cite complications which should be prevented in the recovery room.
• Cite the facts related to respiratory distress.
• Identify nursing implications related to the prevention of respiratory distress.
• Cite the facts related to hypovolemic shock.
• Identify nursing implications related to the detection of pending hypovolemic shock.
• Identify nursing implications related to the general care of a patient in the recovery room.

Select a Lesson:

	Receiving the Post-Op Patient
	The Effects of Anesthesia
	Other Postoperative Complications
	Wound Complications
	Wound Closures and Healing
	Postoperative Patient Care According to Body System
	General Postoperative Nursing Implications

Surgical intervention often alters physical appearance and normal physiological functions and may threaten the patients psychological security. Any or all of these may lead to alterations in the patient's self-concept and body image. Some surgical patients react to the loss of a body part as to a death. Be aware of the patient's needs and establish interventions that will support his strengths and effective coping skills. The nursing process is used throughout the perioperative period to provide the patient with individualized care and the knowledge and ability for self-care following disposition.

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