Post-operation
Waking from Surgery
After your surgery, you will be transferred to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) where you will be closely monitored until the anesthesia wears off. If you have family members with you, they typically can meet you in the PACU after you are stabilized. You will then be transferred to your hospital room.
You will wake up with an IV line, a urinary catheter, and an NG tube. Following surgery, an NG tube will be placed through your nostril into your stomach or if the whole stomach was removed into the small intestine.
The NG tube will be hooked up to suction until return of bowel function. You will not be able to drink or eat immediately after surgery.
The heart monitor measures your heart rate and blood pressure. It can help your doctor detect irregular heartbeats and determine the right treatment for any heart rhythm disorders.
Total parenteral nutrition (PN) is the feeding of a person intravenously, bypassing the usual process of eating and digestion. The person receives nutritional formulae that contain nutrients such as glucose, salts, amino acids, lipids and added vitamins and dietary minerals. Partial parenteral nutrition (PPN) when nutrition is also partially enteric. (5-7 days)
Nasogastric intubation is a medical process involving the insertion of a plastic tube (nasogastric tube or NG tube) through the nose, past the throat, and down into the stomach. Orogastric intubation is a similar process involving the insertion of a plastic tube (orogastric tube) through the mouth.(3-5 days)
In urology, a Foley catheter is a flexible tube which a clinician passes through the urethra and into the bladder to drain urine. It is the most common type of indwelling urinary catheter.(4-6 days)
Arterial line placement is a common procedure in various critical care settings. Intra-arterial blood pressure (BP) measurement is more accurate than measurement of BP by noninvasive means, especially in the critically ill. Arterial line placement is considered a safe procedure, with a rate of major complications that is below 1%.(2-4 days)