Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 11/24/2009
Once the surgery is completed, the patient is taken to a postoperative or recovery unit where a nurse monitors recovery and ensures that bandages are kept clean and dry. Mild pain at the incision site is commonly experienced and the treating physician...
usually prescribes pain medication. Postoperative care also involves monitoring of blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature. Breathing tends to be shallow because of the effect of anesthesia and the patient's reluctance to breathe deeply and experience pain that is caused by the abdominal incision. The patient is given instruction on the way to support the operative site during deep breathing and coughing. Fluid intake and output is measured, and the operative site is observed for color and amount of wound drainage. The nasogastric tube remains in place, attached to low intermittent suction until bowel activity resumes. Fluids and electrolytes are infused intravenously until the patient's diet can gradually be resumed, beginning with liquids and progressing to a regular diet as tolerated. The patient is generally out of bed approximately eight to 24 hours after surgery. Patients are usually scheduled for a follow-up examination within two weeks after surgery. During the first few days after surgery, physical activity is restricted.
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Despite being less than a minute long, this narrated animation explains the fate of food that we eat within the digestive tract.
To remove a diseased portion of the small intestine, an incision is made into the abdomen, and the area to be treated is pulled out (A). Clamps are placed around the area to be removed and the section is cut (B). Three layers of sutures repair the remaining bowel (C). (Illustration by GGS Inc.)
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Other Information
A small bowel resection is the surgical removal of a diseased section of the small intestines. A small bowel resection may be performed to treat the following problems:
• Crohn’s Disease
• Tumor
• Gangrene
• Obstruction – incarceration in a hernia
• Trauma
The small bowel resection can be performed laparoscopically using long, thin instruments inserted through small incisions. During the procedure, the diseased section of the small intestine is stapled and removed. The bowel is then reconnected to reestablish the continuity of the digestive tract.
Other Information
Biliary colic is the presenting symptom in 80% of patients with gallstone disease who seek medical care; however, only 10-20% of all individuals with gallstones experience severe gallstone pain.
From: eMedicine
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