how to get in and out
of a car, climb stairs
and so on, so they
know what to expect.
Using those skills
soon after surgery pro-
motes a sense of
accomplishment.
Physical therapy
usually lasts for about
10 visits, and I see
patients in the clinic at
2 weeks and 6 weeks
after surgery, at which
time most patients are
recovering nicely and
able to do almost any-
thing they want.
• Complications are
rare. Our complication
rate is less than 1%,
which is comparable to or less than what's seen in inpatient settings.
The 2 biggest post-op issues are pain control and blood management.
It's important to do a good job of pain management: If you control
patients' pain, they can move about and are ready for same-day dis-
charge.
We manage pain with a multi-modal approach that includes medica-
tions provided before and after surgery, as well as a local injection of
bupivacaine. Medications generally include a non-steroidal anti-inflam-
2 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 8
• DOESN'T HURT A multi-modal pain management protocol gets patients up and
moving soon after surgery.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
