ICU learning pathway | Acute Abdomen: Postoperative care

Acute Abdomen: Postoperative Care
Session Overview
Description
This session covers the postoperative care and management of a patient who has had surgery for an acute abdomen.

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Identify indications for ICU admission following surgery
• Recognise which patients can be safely extubated
• Recognise potential problems in recovery
• List the most common postoperative complications
• Describe the management of common postoperative complications

Before commencing this session you should complete:

• Acute abdomen: preparation (001-0169)
• Acute abdomen: intraoperative management (001-0170)

Emergency surgery is associated with a number of postoperative complications. Anaesthetists are often best placed to deal with these. These complications can be subdivided into early and late. They can also be divided by organ system.

Patient care does not end for anaesthetists when the patient leaves the theatre. The anaesthetics team is often directly involved in the patient's care for many hours or days afterwards, depending on the patient’s needs.

Good postoperative care ensures the best outcome for the patient. Many of the principles of postoperative care of patients following laparotomy are pertinent to other types of emergency surgery.