Postoperative care

[Ernesto]

Postoperative care begins at the end of the operation and continues in the recovery room and throughout the hospitalization and outpatient period. Critical immediate concerns are airway protection, pain control, mental status, and wound healing. Other important concerns are preventing urinary retention, constipation, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and BP variability (high or low). For patients with diabetes, blood glucose levels are monitored closely by fingerstick testing every 1 to 4 h until patients are awake and eating because better glycemic control improves outcome.