Postoperative Care
Common Concerns
Postoperative Infections
We take preventing infection seriously. All total joint surgery is performed in laminar flow operating rooms, which help reduce the risk of bacterial contamination. The entire surgical team wears body exhaust suits which help eliminate the chance of breath or skin contamination. You are given IV antibiotics in the pre-op holding area and again immediately prior to your surgery. Further, IV antibiotics are continued after surgery.
Postoperative Pain
Special steps are taken to minimize pain after surgery. They begin pre-operatively with medicine taken the morning of your surgery. This helps both lessen and control postoperative pain. Your anesthesiologist will make sure that you are comfortable throughout the procedure and in the recovery room.
At the conclusion of your surgery, a combination of long acting local anesthetic and narcotic is injected in the surgical area to reduce early post-operative pain.
For patients who have undergone a total or partial knee replacement, the anesthesiologist will insert a tiny catheter into the groin near the femoral nerve which is connected to a small battery operated pump. This device will continuously dispense a precise concentration of local anesthetic over several days and in our experience, has resulted in greatly diminished pain after these procedures.
In the recovery room, you will be given a PCA, or Patient Controlled Anesthesia pump, which will allow you to give yourself pain medicine, as needed.
Our entire team is very sensitive to postoperative pain. You will be encouraged to take your pain medicine prior to your therapy and to “stay ahead” of any pain.
Postoperative Blood Clots and Pulmonary Emboli
Many steps are taken to prevent blood clots and pulmonary emboli after surgery on the hip or knee. Pre-operatively, Dr. Leone will assess your vulnerability to clots and emboli based on your medical history and examination. The protocol administered both before and after surgery will be based on this assessment.
After surgery, all patients get leg or foot pumps that passively circulate blood and help prevent clots. Getting out of bed and starting physical therapy the morning after your surgery is very important. It gets your blood circulating and prevents skin breakdown. Most of our patients are started on a blood thinner the day after surgery.
Postoperative Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
In the postoperative anesthesia care unit, the nurse will monitor your temperature, blood pressure, pulse and the electrical activity in your heart (EKG) to make sure your condition is stable. Your comfort level will be carefully monitored.
Ortho Floor
After you awaken from anesthesia and are comfortable and stable, you will be taken to your inpatient room or suite. The nursing staff will assess your comfort level to ensure that you receive the appropriate amount of pain medication.
After Surgery
On the day after your surgery, you will be visited by Dr. Leone and his team as well as by an internist who works closely with Dr. Leone’s patients; or by your own Holy Cross physician.
Your physical therapy will start the morning after your surgery. Expect to get out of bed, practice standing and sitting, and be given assistance in getting to the bathroom. Our patients tell us that the “first time is tough” but they’re really proud of themselves afterward. Beginning to move not long after surgery is extremely therapeutic because it helps your blood circulate and prevent your skin from breaking down.
Day Two
Your second day after surgery will be much like the first, but you’ll be more active and spend more time out of bed. Dr. Leone and his team will visit you again, as will the internist. You will have two physical therapy sessions. We’ve created a special “gym” on our orthopedic floor where you will go for your therapy.
Your nurse will continue to assess your pain and provide medication as needed. Your Patient Liaison and case managers will meet with you and coordinate your discharge—either to your home or to another facility. They will help ensure that you have the supplies that you will need. All your instructions will be reviewed and written down. Any prescriptions will be given to you and an appointment for your suture removal will be made.
The Day Three description below includes steps that may be taken on Day Two should you be one of the many patients who are ready and eager to go home on their second post operative day. Some are not ready or prefer an extra day of therapy before leaving the orthopedic floor.
Day Three
On day three, if an additional day is needed, you will be visited by Dr. Leone and his team. Plans will be finalized for your discharge, and the discharge instructions and prescriptions will be reviewed by your Patient Liaison. You will have a morning physical therapy session.
If you are going to be transferred to our IRU (Intensity Rehabilitation Unit) on the 6th floor of HCH, expect to be transported to your new room in the early afternoon.
If you’ve made the decision to rehabilitate in another facility prior to going home, then we will make all arrangements for your transfer.
If you decide to go directly home, we will make arrangements for a home visiting RN, physical therapist and home health aid as appropriate. The arrangements for equipment to be delivered to your home will also be confirmed. (Some patients who go directly home after their hospitalization opt for outpatient therapy.) Your Patient Liaison will help you make all of these arrangements.
For your safety, we will arrange for a member of the hospital staff to help you get downstairs with all of your belongings. They will also help you collect any valuables left with Security. You will be taken to the discharge area at the entrance to the hospital and assisted into your vehicle prior to the 12:00 PM discharge time.
Contact Us
Call 954-489-4575 or fill out our
Just wanted to let you know that last week I played in a golf Tournament at Ocean Reef just 8+ weeks after my knee surgery. Paul Clivio
