While the COVID-19 epidemic proceeds, surgical practitioners and hospitals must adjust to the new policies. This involves limiting the virus's influence during surgery and creating a safe environment for patients and doctors.
Hospitals must speed the procedure for infected patients transported to a COVID-19-specific operating room (OR). The route should be pre-allocated so that contaminated patients may be guided in an organized manner.
Preoperative assessment is an important part of safe surgical treatment. It analyses risk and lowers perioperative morbidity, including postponed or cancelled procedures.
Preoperative medical examinations that are suitable may lower the duration of hospital stay and patient mortality. Patients should be assessed by their primary care physician and, if necessary, specialists.
The ASA physical status categorization system (Table 2) was created to characterize surgical patients' general health and is a valuable tool for perioperative assessment. However, it is crucial to note that the ASA categorization system does not reflect a patient's overall health state.
It should also not be used to "clear" a patient for elective surgery. It should be a collaborative procedure in which the assessing practitioner and surgeon identify the amount of perioperative risk for each patient and suggest lowering that risk as needed.
Patient transportation is an essential component of in-hospital treatment. All patients must be cleaned and protected with personal protective equipment (PPE) or masks throughout this procedure. While transferring non-intubated patients, surgical masks, disposable waterproof gloves, and shoe coverings must be used.
Surgical patients should be moved in coded routes that avoid hospital public areas with non-COVID patients. This reduces the possibility of unintentional interaction with other patients and personnel, which might result in cross-contamination.
Linen should be gathered while wearing PPE and deposited in clearly labelled containers. This will help to reduce the spread of contaminated linen, which might be detrimental to COVID-19-positive patients during surgery.
Surgical treatments treat disorders that affect organs, tissues, or structures in the body. Neurosurgery (brain and spinal cord problems), thoracic surgery (lung and bronchus disorders), cardiovascular surgery (heart illnesses), orthopaedic surgery (bone and muscle ailments), and gastrointestinal surgery are all examples of surgery.
Elective surgery is performed to treat non-life threatening, chronic illnesses that may be treated with a particular treatment. It may be arranged or booked in advance and is completed at a convenient time for the patient, hospital, and personnel.
Surgical operations are categorised according to the body part, invasiveness, unique equipment, and scheduling. Laparoscopic surgery, for example, uses minimally invasive incisions to introduce miniature tools, while open surgery needs bigger incisions to reach the region of interest.
Postoperative care comprises treatment provided to patients in the operating room and the postanesthesia care unit after surgery. This treatment attempts to avoid problems, facilitate healing, and restore the patient's health.
Nurses play a vital role in postoperative care by monitoring a patient's status, ensuring that no medical problems occur, and ensuring that they are in good enough condition to be released from the hospital or moved to another department for further recuperation.
Another important part of the postoperative treatment is pain management. Good pain treatment is essential for patient safety and may minimize hospital stay duration, complications, and impairment.
It is also critical that nurses educate patients on how to care for their wounds, how to take medicine, and what to do if they have any difficulties. These lessons help patients heal more quickly and prevent frequent surgical problems like pneumonia.