Post-op
Formal Definition
The postoperative period: the time immediately following surgery through full recovery, encompassing recovery room care, pain management, complication monitoring, wound care, and return to baseline function.
How It's Used on the Ward
"Post-op check" or "post-op day 2" — the ongoing assessment after surgery. "Post-op day" (POD) numbers track recovery milestones.
Example
""Post-op day 1 after right hemicolectomy: patient comfortable, tolerating sips, passing flatus — sign that bowel function is returning. Pain controlled with scheduled acetaminophen and PRN oxycodone. Plan: advance diet, ambulate twice today, remove foley.""
Clinical Context
Post-op management follows predictable patterns for each procedure type — know the expected recovery trajectory. Signs of normal recovery: pain decreasing, fever resolving by POD 3 (early post-op fever is atelectasis, not infection), bowel function returning, ambulating. Red flags: fever after POD 3 (think wound infection, anastomotic leak, DVT), escalating pain (compartment syndrome, hematoma, abscess), tachycardia (bleeding, PE, sepsis). The "post-op check" is a focused assessment, not just a reassurance call.