
Please read the useful information and guidance provided below about after your operation.
After the operation, you will be taken back to a recovery room. Recovery staff will be with you at all times and will continue to monitor your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels.
Oxygen will be given through a lightweight clear plastic mask, which covers your mouth and nose. Depending on the operation you have had, you may have a urinary catheter. This is a soft tube put temporarily into the bladder to drain it.
If you are going home on the same day, once you have had something to drink/eat and are considered ‘ready for discharge’, you may be taken to a seated recovery area to await collection or transport.
Whilst we make every effort to reunite you with your relative/companion following your procedure the nurses will assess this on an individual basis. Your relatives/companions are welcome to enquire at the reception desk about your progress.
Here are some ways of giving pain relief:
How you feel afterwards will depend on the procedure and anaesthesia you’ve had. Please speak to us if you feel uncomfortable.
Very common and common (1 in 10 – 1 in 100):
The risks to you as an individual will depend on:
Uncommon side effects and complications (1 in 1000):
Rare or very rare complications (1 in 10,000 – 1 in 100,000):
Causes
Sometimes a DVT occurs for no apparent reason. Some people inherit or develop an increased risk of DVT. Being unwell and having reduced mobility (for example, when recovering from an operation) can lead to changes in the blood and sluggish blood flow through the leg veins. These events make blood more likely to clot and form a DVT.
The highest risk is associated with major joint operations such as those for joint (hip or knee) replacement or hip fracture, major trauma or major spinal surgery, especially if someone has multiple risk factors for DVT.
Possible symptoms
How to reduce the risk
On admission to hospital or at your pre-operative assessment, you will have an assessment of your risk of DVT and any reason not to use preventative treatments. The assessment will decide the recommended preventative measures (known as thromboprophylaxis) to be used in hospital and what is recommended after leaving hospital.
These may include:
What happens if DVT does develop?
An assessment is made by the medical team and a scan can be done. If the test results are positive anticoagulation treatment with heparin and warfarin is given to prevent further clot formation and allow the DVT to breakdown.
If you are having an operation and you are taking a drug that thins your blood (e.g. aspirin, warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel) your healthcare team should assess the risks and benefits of stopping this drug temporarily in the week before your operation with or without different treatment in its place.