Care of a Patient with Right Hip Replacement Surgery - Essay Example

While in the hospital bed, the patient should continue deep breathing and coughing to prevent congestion in their lungs. These exercises should be performed every hour while the patient is awake. Mobilization out of bed depends on the surgeon and may start on the first day. Bed exercises such as quadriceps contraction and ankle exercises are encouraged for enhanced circulation. Routine chest physiotherapy1 is given to prevent chest complications. The procedures on the second day of operation include walking to the bathroom with the help of a walker.

The patient should be gradually ambulated to walk with crutches and taught special maneuvers to ease daily activities like climbing stairs. Following hip operations, the catheter should remain in situ for two days and the patient is well advised to use a bedpan for his elimination needs. These post-operative procedures may limit your activities, are rather inconvenient, and may feel troublesome. After surgery, Surgeons and nurses do several things to reduce the risk of blood clots forming in the veins of the patient's legs.

If they do form, this can lead to increased swelling in the legs. If the clots break loose they may travel to the patients' lungs and interfere with breathing. To avoid such complications, before the surgery, the nurse will apply elastic stockings to help prevent blood from pooling in the patients' legs. The surgical team may place the patient on either aspirin or Coumadin to thin blood to reduce the risk of clot formation. In addition, the patient should continue the exercises in bed to maintain the blood flow in the legs and to keep the heart and muscles strong.

It is important to pump the patients' feet up and down 20 times each hour while awake. Also, perform the tightening exercises of the thighs and buttocks. The post-op bed will have an overhead trapeze bar for the patient to use to reposition. This should be used to lift the buttocks off the bed and shift position. The nurses will also assist by turning the patient from side to side and placing pillows behind the patient for support. The patient may move in bed within the limits of their comfort and the restrictions of the abduction pillow between their legs.

This activity will help to prevent skin from becoming irritated and improve comfort. If an area of skin feels hot or sore and cannot be relieved by shifting, the nurse should be notified immediately. From the second day after the operation forward, the patient would not require a catheter or the bedpan. The nurse will examine the bandage and apply a new dressing. On the third post-operation day, a hip X-ray will be taken and reviewed by the surgeon. A patient is usually discharged at around the fourth or fifth day after the operation.

The use of crutches or a walker may be necessary for as long as 3 months, although most people who did not use them before being able to walk without them in several weeks. The attending team will assess progress after surgery and make recommendations as to whether the patient goes home or to a rehabilitation facility. Bibliographyhip-replacement-care.com