Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Running on Empty - August 2019 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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ignores countless others who are at moderate risk, and who need the same compassionate care during their recoveries. Proactive approach You can take steps to lessen the severity of delirium. During pre-op assessments, clinic visits or during consent for surgery, educate at- risk patients (and their family members) about what delirium is and inform them that they might feel disoriented and confused, and might have trouble focusing or concentrating after surgery. If they do feel this way (or if family members notice these changes) after surgery, they should tell their care providers right away. Patients should focus on bolstering their health before the day of surgery, including getting physical exercise, eating right and maintain- ing a normal sleep cycle. They should get up and out of bed as soon as possible after waking and engage the mind through constant con- versation, game playing and reading. Family members can remind eld- erly patients about the date and time, and reminisce with them about past life events. On the day of surgery, let patients keep their eyeglasses, hearing aids and dentures until just before anesthesia induction and return the items as soon as possible in the PACU. Those personal items keep patients orientated to their surroundings by letting them see, hear and communicate clearly. Ask patients for a list of their favorite songs before surgery and play the familiar tunes in recovery to reori- ent them to their surroundings. A proactive approach to recovery includes getting out of bed as soon as possible and taking frequent walks, remaining active and mobile. Keeping the mind active through frequent conversation and engagement is an important piece of deliri- um prevention. All of these interventions prevent delirium and also help reduce delirium severity. After discharge, patients should main- Anesthesia Alert AA 1 1 0 • 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 9

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