The importance of preoperative patient preparation
Instructions to follow before surgery are crucial to minimizing risks and ensuring a smooth recovery. This includes avoiding smoking and alcohol, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, and following pre-operative food and fluid intake guidelines.
1. Quit smoking
One of the key instructions to follow before surgery is to quit smoking. Avoid smoking environments and exposure to smoke from others, as harmful substances can transfer from clothing. Smoking increases the risk of complications like breathing issues, delayed wound healing, and lung infections. The earlier you stop before surgery, the lower the risk of these complications.
The benefits of quitting smoking before surgery:
- Improve Wound Healing: One of the key instructions to follow before surgery is quitting smoking, as nicotine restricts blood flow, delaying healing. Stopping smoking enhances circulation and speeds recovery.
- Enhance Respiratory Function: Quitting smoking improves lung capacity, leading to better surgical outcomes and a faster recovery.
- Reduce Infection Risk: Smoking weakens the immune system, increasing post-surgery infection risks. Following instructions to follow before surgery, like quitting smoking, significantly boosts immunity.
- Minimize Surgical Complications: Smoking increases complications and hospital stays. Stopping before surgery ensures a safer procedure and quicker healing.
2. Abstain from alcoholic beverages
People who drink alcohol are advised to stop at least four weeks before surgery. Alcohol can lead to:
- Increased risk of bleeding during and after surgery.
- A weakened immune system leads to the possibility of infection.
- Delays wound healing due to its detrimental effect on liver function and proteins necessary for healing.
3. Proper preoperative nutrition
A healthy diet plays an important role in supporting recovery after surgery. In particular, you should avoid sugary foods and focus on eating protein-rich foods, as protein is essential for accelerating tissue repair and promoting wound healing.
Recommended foods before surgery:
- Animal protein sources: Chicken, turkey, lean beef. and sheep meat
- Fish: Salmon and tuna contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
- Eggs: They are a rich source of protein and vitamins that are essential for healing.
- Dairy products: Milk, yogurt, and cheese.
- Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, and flaxseed.
- Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, beans.
4. Drinking fluids and abstaining from food before the procedure
- Before surgery, food and fluid guidelines should be followed to ensure safe anesthesia:
- Clear liquids (water, tea, clear juices) are allowed up to two hours before anesthesia.
- You should stop eating solid foods 6 hours before surgery. Recently, there are some studies that allow for a shorter period of eating before surgery, but this should be coordinated with the anesthesiologist.
5. Exercise and improved lung function
- It is best to engage in 30 minutes of physical and sporting activity daily or at least 3 hours per week to promote overall health and improve the ability to recover after the operation.
- Respiratory exercises are essential before surgery, especially for thoracic surgery, heart surgery, and major abdominal surgeries. It is recommended to start pulmonary rehabilitation sessions with a physiotherapist or by following “pulmonary rehabilitation” videos on YouTube and putting them into practice.
6. Effective coughing techniques after surgery
After surgery, you will need to cough regularly to remove secretions and phlegm to prevent lung complications.
Watching videos on effective coughing techniques is recommended to learn the correct medical technique without causing pain or excessive strain.
7. Preparing for pain after surgery
It is normal to feel some pain after surgery, even if the incision is very small, but it is important to accept that you will have pain after the operation and not let the pain prevent you from coughing or moving, as movement is essential to recover after the operation and prevent major complications such as blood clots or pulmonary infections.
Abstract
Following these instructions to follow before surgery is essential to improving the procedure’s outcome and minimizing complications. Be sure to consult your doctor for personalized guidance on your pre-surgery preparation. Adhering to these guidelines ensures a safer and more successful recovery. For expert support and comprehensive care, contact Bimaristan today!