Lobectomies

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Do your lobectomies come straight from the PACU to your floor? Do they go to a regular floor, step-down, or ICU? How frequent are their vitals?

I work on a vascular-thoracic telemetry unit -- patients come straight from PACU. VS q1x4, q2x4, q4 -- very complex patients with chest tubes, epidurals, etc. -- but do quite well -- start them on incentive spirometers literally as they come to my floor. Get them on evening shift -- out of bed in the am -- usually need to have the chest tubes on suction, so get them OOB to chair & ambulate in room. Once chest x-ray shows no air leak, get MDs order to taken them off suction & ambulate them in hall.

The epi doesn't take care of the shoulder/muscular pain, so frequently start patients on Vioxx qd when they are taking po.

Length of stay depends on chest tube draining, lung expansion etc.

Thanks for your input.

Sue

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