Journal of perianesthesia nursing : official journal of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
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The most common fear expressed by preanesthesia patients is experiencing awareness while under general anesthesia. Although extremely rare, awareness during anesthesia does occur and patients have recalled explicit details and conversations that occurred while they were under general anesthesia, including described recall of the intubation process. The Bispectral Index Monitor (BIS) was developed by Aspect Medical System of Newton, MA, to measure patient response to the administration of potent sedative, hypnotic agents. The BIS monitor is intended to decrease the risk of intraoperative awareness by providing the anesthetist with a quantitative assessment regarding the hypnotic state of the patient.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Dec 2001
ReviewPatient care after discharge from the ambulatory surgical center.
An important and often forgotten aspect of postoperative care occurs after the patient is discharged from the ambulatory surgical center. With more than 60% of all surgeries and procedures occurring on an ambulatory basis, what happens after the patient is no longer in continuous professional care is of concern to the ambulatory nurse. Numerous physical postoperative complaints are common and expected sequelae of anesthesia and surgery in the ambulatory patient. In this article, important postdischarge complications are reviewed and contemporary management options discussed. The information contained in this review article is valuable to the provider in educating patients regarding their anticipated course of postoperative recovery. ⋯ -Based on the content of this article, the reader should be able to (1) identify important postdischarge complications to provide patients with comprehensive discharge instructions regarding their continued recovery at home; (2) discuss contemporary management options available to treat postdischarge complications; (3) realize the incidence of specific postdischarge complications and how that relates to patient satisfaction with the surgical experience; (4) recognize signs and symptoms of postdischarge complications; and (5) identify risk factors of patients for developing specific complications in the postoperative phase.
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The preanesthesia assessment is an important tool for both the perianesthesia team and the patient. A complete and thorough preoperative assessment prepares the perianesthesia team to form the best possible patient care plan. By using the preanesthesia assessment as an opportunity to provide comprehensive teaching about the entire perianesthesia process, the patient is prepared and motivated for the best possible outcome.
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J. Perianesth. Nurs. · Dec 2001
ReviewPharmacologic rationale for anesthetic agents in ambulatory practice.
Patients undergoing surgery in the ambulatory setting require anesthetic agents that expedite postoperative recovery, minimize adverse side effects, and contribute to patient satisfaction. The newer anesthetic agents that are currently used in today's practice offer the flexibility needed to provide anesthesia care for a wide variety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed on an outpatient basis. ⋯ This article focuses on the rationale for the use of a variety of anesthetic and related agents necessary for the provision of ambulatory anesthesia. The commonly used agents used in ambulatory anesthesia care and their influences on the continuum of care is reviewed.
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Effective postoperative analgesia is a fundamental goal of patient management in the ambulatory surgery setting. There is a physiologic, psychological, and economic cost to unrelieved pain in the postoperative patient. ⋯ Severe postoperative pain continues to be a problem in ambulatory patients once they are discharged to the home environment. This article looks at fundamental concepts in pain management and integrates these ideas into a comprehensive strategy for the management of postoperative pain in the ambulatory patient.