Perioperative Nursing Overview

Perioperative Nursing Overview

• Nursing care encompasses preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases for patients undergoing surgery.
• The perioperative period consists of three key phases: preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative.

Phases of the Perioperative Period

• Preoperative Phase: Involves admission to the surgical unit, preparation for surgery (physiological, psychological, spiritual, legal), and transport to the operating room.
• Intraoperative Phase: Encompasses admission to the operating room, administration of anesthesia, and the surgical procedure itself.
• Postoperative Phase: Includes recovery room admission, transfer back to the surgical unit, discharge planning, and follow-up care.

Preoperative Assessment

• A comprehensive assessment identifies surgical risk factors, including medical history, medication use, and allergies.
• Anxiety can arise from fear of the unknown or complications; nursing measures such as providing information and reassurance can alleviate it.

Informed Consent

• Legal and ethical considerations are crucial in ensuring informed consent is obtained prior to surgery, including the patient's understanding of the procedure, risks, and alternatives.

Infection Prevention

• Preoperative nursing measures to decrease risk of infection include proper hand hygiene, maintaining sterility, and administering prophylactic antibiotics when indicated.

Immediate Preoperative Preparation

• Preparing the patient right before surgery includes verifying patient identity, confirming the surgical site, and ensuring all necessary equipment is ready.

Preoperative Teaching Plan

• Teaching aims to promote recovery from anesthesia and surgery, addressing pain management, mobility expectations, and postoperative care.

Surgical Terminology

• Significant terms include prefixes like "supra-" (above), "myo-" (muscle), "nephro-" (kidneys), and suffixes such as "-ectomy" (removal), "-plasty" (repair), and "-otomy" (opening).

Conditions Requiring Surgery

• Surgical intervention may be necessary for conditions like perforation, obstruction, erosion, or tumors.

Categories of Surgery

• Surgery classification can vary by purpose (e.g., diagnostic, palliative, curative) and urgency (e.g., emergent, urgent, elective).

Types of Curative Surgery

• Ablative: Removal of diseased organs (e.g., nephrectomy).
• Constructive: Repair of congenital defects (e.g., plastic surgery).
• Reconstructive: Restoration of damaged organs (e.g., surgery after burn injuries).

Surgery by Urgency

• Emergent: Immediate attention needed, life-threatening (e.g., severe bleeding).
• Urgent: Requires surgery within 24-48 hours (e.g., kidney stones).
• Required: Surgery needed within weeks (e.g., thyroid procedures).
• Elective: Surgery can be scheduled as per patient's convenience (e.g., scar repair).
• Optional: Surgery based on personal preference (e.g., cosmetic procedures).

Surgery by Risk

• Major Surgery: Higher risk, involves significant blood loss, and longer recovery (e.g., colectomy).
• Minor Surgery: Less risk and generally outpatient (e.g., cyst removal).

Ambulatory Surgery

• Advantages: Reduced hospital stay, lower costs, minimized stress, and less exposure to hospital infections.
• Disadvantages: Limited preoperative assessment time, brief patient rapport, and reduced opportunity to monitor for late complications.

This quiz examines the key concepts in perioperative nursing, focusing on the phases of the perioperative period, preoperative assessments, and measures to reduce surgical risks. It also addresses preoperative anxiety and legal considerations, providing a comprehensive overview for nursing professionals.