Approach to the Surgical Patient: Preoperative Care Flashcards
Phases of Surgical Management
- Preoperative Care
- Preoperative Evaluation – complete H&P
- Diagnostic Work-Up -pertinent labs/imaging
- Preoperative Preparation – education/medication/optimization
- Operative Care and Anesthesia
- Postoperative Care
3 purposes of a general health assessment
- identify risk
- dictate what other diagnostic procedures, consultations, etc. need to be addressed before surgery
- Diagnostic tests and labs needed vary depending on pt health assessment findings AND surgical procedure - identify other conditions that need to be treated before surgery
Most common presenting symptoms for general surgery
6
- Pain / Claudication
- N/V/hematemesis
- Change in bowel habits / blood in stool
- Lump or mass
- Injury / Trauma
- Numbness / Weakness
difference between elective/urgent PE vs emergent PE?
Elective/Urgent - Complete Physical Exam
- At minimum: general survey, CV, Resp, Abd, Ext.
- More as needed depending on CC.
Emergent - Focused Physical Exam
- ALWAYS perform Airway Assessment, Heart, Lungs, Abdomen
components of abdominal PE
- Inspection
- Auscultation
- Palpation - light and deep
- Special Tests and Signs
- McBurneys point
- Rovsing Sign
- Murphy’s Sign
- Obturator Sign
- Psoas Sign
how/what to assess for abdominal masses?
- Soft, hard, fluctuant
- Tender vs non tender
- Reducible vs non reducible
- Pulsatile
- Organomegaly
No abdominal exam is complete without ?
rectal exam
components of a rectal exam
- Palpate for rectal masses, prostate masses in men
- Patient should be on their side, knees flexed, 360 degree palpation of rectum - Hemoccult test
- Assesses for the presence of occult blood
components of a breast exam
- Inspection - asymmetry, discoloration, dimpling of skin
- Palpation - masses, areas of tenderness, nipple discharge
- Masses
- Location
- Size
- One or multiple
- Mobile or Fixed
- Firm or Hard
- Nodular or Smooth
- Tender or Nontender
what are the 3 positions for a breast exam?
- sitting or standing with both arms down and relaxed on each side
- sitting or standing with both arms held up overhead
- laying flat on back with arm of breast being examined placed overhead
Where is most common site for breast malignancy?
Left breast, upper right quadrant
how to exam the extremities?
components
- Inspection - color, hair, dryness (scaly), muscle tone, lesions/ulceration
- Skin temperature
- Sensory testing
- Peripheral pulses - palpation/handheld doppler US
- Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
what are some s/s of RF for PAD?
- Smoking.
- High blood pressure.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Diabetes.
- High cholesterol.
- Age above 60 years.
what assesses if the pt needs a stent or bypass?
ABI
ABI = < 0.9 or > 1.4
Laboratory examinations in surgical patients have the following objectives:
Preoperative Testing
- Screening for asx disease that may affect the surgical result (eg, unsuspected anemia or DM)
- Appraisal of diseases that may CI elective surgery or require tx before surgery (eg, DM or HF)
- Diagnosis of disorders that require surgery (eg, hyperparathyroidism or pheochromocytoma)
- Evaluation of nature and extent of metabolic or septic complications
Diagnostic Tests to Consider for preop testing
- Labs - CBC, CMP, PT/INR/PTT, BHCG
- Imaging - Plain films, U/S, CT, MRI/MRA
- ECG
- ECHO
INR needs to be
?
for elective surgery
< 1.5
what conditions would prompt you to order an EKG
pt with known CAD, arrhythmia, PVD, cerebrovascular disease, structural heart disease or pt undergoing intermediate/high risk surgery.
any known heart problem
what conditions would prompt you to order a CXR
pt with cardiopulmonary disease or pt ≥50 undergoing AAA sx or upper abdominal/thoracic sx.
any abdominal or thoracic
what would prompt you to order labs (CBC, CMP, PT/PTT) for preoperative testing?
- ASA recommends against routine screening in healthy pts.
- Acceptable to use labs in the last 4 mo.
all pre-menopausal women should get what lab?
BHCG
Components of the General Health Assessment
Special Considerations for Surgical Pts
- Physiologic Age Assessment
- Nutritional Assessment
- Assessment
- assessment of immune competence
- wound healing assessment
- hemostasis assessment
- thromboembolism assessment
- pulmonary function assessment
- CV risk assessment
what are functional METs?
assessed based on Physiologic Age
- 1 MET: basic ADLs, eat, dress, go to bathroom
- 4 METs: can walk up small incline, single flight of stairs, walks at 3-4mph on level ground
- 5-10 METs: heavy house work, scrubbing floors, climbing stairs
- > 10 METs: participates in sports, swimming, skiing
What METs activities w/o sx is thought to be a good prognostic indicator?
4 METs
how can malnutrition affect surgery during a nutritional assessment?
- Increases operative death rates
- Increases infection rates
- Prolongs recovery time
- May require pre and/or postoperative hyperalimentation
- Some may require tube feeds
- Protein shakes
how to assess nutrition?
3
- Question about wt loss
- Question about diet and eating habits
- Labwork: CBC with diff, serum albumin/prealbumin, vitamin B12
Greatest risk associated with weight loss what percent of baseline?
> 10%
This condition/finding is common in cancer patients and those with intestinal disorders
malnutrition
risks of obesity affect surgery?
Increase risk for:
- Post-op infections and wound complications
- Cardiopulmonary complications
- DVT
- Concomitant chronic diseases
risks of being underweight affect surgery?
Increase risk for:
- Malnutrition/vitamin deficiencies
- Delayed wound healing
- Concomitant chronic diseases
If surgery is non emergent strong efforts for what are encouraged before procedure?
hint: nutrition
weight loss (or weight gain)
Factors that can impair immune function and increase risk of infection:
- Malnutrition
- Elderly patients
- Severe trauma and burns
- Cancer
- Certain medications (corticosteroids, prolonged abx use, immunomodulators)
- Uncontrolled DM
- CKD
Risk Factors Leading to Delayed Wound Healing
- Malnutrition
- Anemia
- Marked dehydration
- Marked edema
- Poorly controlled DM
- Smoking
- Radiation
- Meds - Corticosteroids, Chemotherapy
- CV disease - CHF, Arrhythmias, PAD
there has to be adequate blood supply to the tissue.
Hx of hemostasis assessment
- Any h/o bleeding tendencies
- Epistaxis
- Gingival Bleeding
- Easy Bruising
- Menorrhagia
- Excessive bleeding with other surgeries/injury - FHX bleeding disorders
- Hemophilia
- Von Willebrand Disease - Drug hx
- ASA, NSAIDS, Clopidogrel, Warfarin, Pradaxa, Xarelto