FIT FOR SURGERY

BY: Eric Michael Santos

Empowering You to Healthy Living
August 2008

A well-nourished body can withstand the rigors of surgery better and recover
faster .Here’s what you need to know about proper nutrition pre- and post-
surgery.

Surgery, to be brutally frank, is a deliberate, skillful way of injuring the body to

relieve or heal illness. A host of complications may arise, the most common of
which are infection and blood loss. Post-op recovery may take two weeks, even
months. Surgery, in fact, is often a last resort, and patients are stringently
screened before getting the doctor’s nod to “go under the knife”.

Because surgery places such tremendous stress on the body, getting proper
nutrition before and after surgery is necessary to help prevent complications and
promote faster healing. Patients who just had major surgery need extra proteins,
calories, and nutrients for the repair and recovery of the body. These nutrients
are the raw materials for the immune system to fight infections and for the body
to repair damaged skin, nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and bones.

A 2005 survey by Filipino nutrition specialist revealed that up to 50 percent of the

patients admitted to public and private Metro Manila hospitals are malnourished.
Worse, malnutrition, which can be either present before admission or develop
during the course of admission, leads to more health complications and a longer
hospitalization period.

Malnutrition or nutritional depletion as doctors call the condition causes changes

in body composition, wastes body tissues, and impairs organ function, leading to
weakened immune and muscle function. Nutritionally depleted patients are at risk
from infection and heart lung damage.
 REACTION PAPER

This article states that nourishment is significant before and after the surgery to
prevent further complications and to promote faster healing. As a patient they
must pursue the doctor’s order for they own sake. To promote healing post-
surgery, eat more lean meat, poultry fish, and low fat-dairy products. Also include
in your diet a variety of grains, fruits, and vegetables for adequate calories,
vitamins and minerals. Undergo surgery is not easy for us because we don’t
know what will happen after the operation. Nutrients a substance that provide
nourishment and affects the nutritive and metabolic processes of the body. A
protein is the major source of building material for muscles, blood, skin, hair,
nails, and the internal organs. Patients preparing for surgery should therefore eat
healthful, well- balanced diet. Malnourished patients are one of the leading
causes of infection and further complications before and after the surgery since
they have weakened immune system and muscles function. We should modify
our lifestyle not only the food that we consume. If you smoke, stop smoking
before your operation. Any period of not smoking helps. Load up with the proper
diet to prepare for your surgery and make sure you continue to get sufficient
nutrition after the procedure. Talk to healthcare team is important about the
nutrition plan that’s right for the patient because prescribed diet will depend on
your health condition, health problem, and the nature of surgery. The patient
must follow the doctor’s specific instructions on what and how to eat because
there are usually dietary restrictions. Take it easy. Try not to get too tired in the
days before and after the operation. Follow a special diet or take iron
supplements before the surgery if the doctor suggests it.
 DIARY

This is my first time I expose in Operating Room that’s why I feel anxious on our
first day .We meet our clinical instructor she introduced herself to us and then
after she orient us inside the Operating Room/ Labor Room/Recovery Room for
us to be familiarized the different machine or instruments used after that we have
a return demo individually the procedures for gloving/gowning for sterile
purposes .We are lucky because we have a minor case on our first duty which is
normal spontaneous delivery but unfortunately our clinical instructor told us that
we must observed only one student at a time inside the delivery room. On our
second day we have a new clinical instructor we have a return demo also we
demonstrate how we serve the instruments to the doctor. There is a scheduled
patient who will undergo for operation on our second day which is excision &
drainage so I’m the one who assist the doctor I apply my previous concept which
is peri-operative nursing I feel anxious that time after the operation I monitored
the vital signs of the patient every 15minutes. On our third day of our duty. We
meet our new clinical instructor again. We are very lucky unexpected for our
group because we have a major case which is caesarian section so one of my
group mate assisted the doctor and the rest of our group observed. We have a
return demo again about the different instruments used in operating room and
the function of each instruments especially the caesarian set of instruments. On
our fourth day of our duty we meet again are new clinical instructors. We have a
one on one graded recitation in different instruments used in operating room. We
are very thankful to those clinical instructors that we meet for 5 days of our duty
because it is worth it for us as nursing students we learn a lot from them.
 MISSION HOSPITAL
ROSARIO, PASIG CITY

SUBMITTED BY:

CASUMBAL, RITCHELL R.
CARDIOTONICS (7)
GROUP 25B
 MEDICAL & SURGICAL INTERVENTION

For the patient with an overactive nodule

• Removal of part of thyroid gland containing overactive nodule (Thyroidectomy)

Peri-operative Care

1. Obtain VS and weight

2. Assess for electrolyte level, glucose levels and T3/T4 levels
3. Provide pre-operative teaching like coughing and deep breathing, early ambulation
and support of the neck when moving.
4. Administer prescribed medications ( anti-thyroid)

Post-operative Care

1. Position patient: Semi fowlers, neck on neutral position.

2. Monitor for respiratory distress- apparatus at bedside-tracheostomy set, O2 tank
and sunction machine.
3. Check for edema and bleeding by noting the dressing anteriorly and at the back of
the neck.
4. LIMIT client talking
5. Assess for HOARSENESS
 Expected to be present only initially, limit excess vocalization
 If persistent may indicate damage to laryngeal nerve
6. Monitor for laryngeal damage- respiratory distress, dysphonia, voice changes,
dysphagia and restlessness
7. Monitor for signs of HYPOCALCEMIA and tetany due to trauma of the
parathyroid
8. Prepare calcium gluconate
9. Monitor for thyroid storm.