west37

Thank you very very much :) Great advice! I do reckon the brain sheet is like THE life-saver!

I know right? Some of my friends are assigned to neuro and other places, I mean we haven't chosen our specialization yet! I think I got post-op~

Hey guys My first clinical placement is coming up in 3 wks and I ve learnt that I ve been assigned to the surgical ward. I'm just wondering whether it is the best place to start with (not that I have any choices, but wouldn't hurt to ask :) since I'm new to nursing. Some of my friends are put in ER and some in Peds. And if it is not too much trouble, can I get some advice as to what I am supposed to do prepare for the placement apart from the basic nursing skills. Thanks a million!

yea, I know right? It baffles me how infant's weight has anything to do with the selection of the probe. I mean as long as u align the sensor and with detector, and the size of the probe goes with the patient, then it works out perfect.

I am just wondering, in what ways does the selection of probe relate to the weight of infant. Coz I came across this article online saying that the probe used for oximetry has to be appropriate for infant's weight. I googled it but nothing came up. Anyone? Thanks

Thanks for the reply. So far, i ve got complications that might arise from surgical aspect - ileus, anastomosis leakage, enterotomies, electrolyte imbalance due to blood/fluid loss which impairs cardiovascular function (K+ loss i suppose), lowered urine output resulted from stress of surgery, abdominal distention, and again GI issues that leads to ineffective nutrition absorption resulting in slow integumental recovery at incision site and so on. For anesthesia, I ve got nausea and vomit, potential pulmonary aspiration, drowsiness, sore throat, cognitive dysfunction and etc. I ve put down few interventions to tackle the aforesaid complications, just need a little more time to get them organized. i know that's not all of them, but i guess those would suffice?

advice taken. I have come across tons of resources in this regard, but couldn't manage to link them up in a way. now i ve realized i could categorize them into anesthesia complication and surgical complication in relation to the small bowel resection. I just don't quite get it how Crohn's disease could contribute to the post-op surgical complication of small bowel resection.

I have got this case study below Mrs. Sally Hilton, a 32 year old mother of 3, is admitted to the hospital for an open small bowel resection this afternoon. Mrs. Hilton's first language is English and she is awake and alert but anxious about her surgery. Mrs Hilton has a history of Crohn's disease and presents with acute upper abdominal pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss and a history of diarrhoea. Post operative Mrs Hilton's surgery was performed while she was under general anaesthesia and proceeded as planned. She was admitted to the surgical ward after spending 1 hour in the recovery ward. You are the nurse caring for Mrs Hilton on the surgical ward. She arrives on to your ward with, a peripheral IV cannula, a nasogastric tube, and she has TED stockings on. Her post operative orders were; * vital signs as per post operative protocol * 0.9% sodium chloride at 100 mL/h * Morphine via patient-controlled analgesia 1 mg at 5 minute intervals for pain * Clear fluids as tolerated * Nasogastric tube on free drainage 1, What are the potential post anaesthetic/surgery problems that the nurse might expect Mrs Hilton to encounter? 2, What nursing interventions would be appropriate to prevent these complications from occurring? Please provide a rationale for your interventions. Now, I ve come up with several aspects for the first question: potential alteration in respiratory function, cardiovascular function, urinary function, gastrointestinal and integument; and body temp, pain, and psychological function. Anyone care to elaborate a bit with reference to the patient's condition? Thanks in advance! :)