What should be paid attention to in the observation of rectal cancer after surgery

Rectal cancer is a common malignant tumor among anorectal diseases and a lifestyle disease. Surgery is the main treatment, but clinical observation of the condition after surgery is very important and directly affects the patient's recovery process.

So what aspects should we pay attention to when observing the condition after surgery?

1. Because general anesthesia is mostly used for surgical anesthesia for rectal cancer patients, patients are generally given low-flow oxygen, ECG monitoring and blood oxygen saturation measurement after surgery. Medical staff will pay attention to the patient's respiratory heart rate and blood oxygen saturation, keep the airway open, and prevent respiratory complications.

2. The medical staff will instruct the patient's companion to simply check the above indicators and inform the medical staff in time. The patient should be placed in a supine position before waking up from general anesthesia, and in a semi-recumbent position after waking up from surgery, which is conducive to the absorption of exudate, mobilizing the patient to turn over more often, promoting the recovery of intestinal peristalsis, and getting out of bed early to prevent intestinal adhesion healing and the key to postoperative recovery.

3. After the operation, pay attention to observe the exudation of the incision dressing, pay attention to protect the abdominal wall incision and pay attention to observe whether there is abdominal pain, abdominal distension, abdominal enlargement and other abdominal conditions. At the same time, observe the amount and nature of the drainage fluid, keep the drainage tube unobstructed, and avoid twisting and compression. If the drainage fluid is large and bright red, report to the doctor in time.

4. After abdominal surgery, patients are afraid to cough or have difficulty coughing up phlegm due to fear of pain or poor physical strength. Most patients with rectal cancer are elderly patients and are more likely to have lung infections. To prevent the occurrence of this complication, patients should be told about the importance of coughing after surgery, and they should be actively encouraged and assisted in coughing and expectoration. They should be turned over and patted on the back every two hours after surgery to help them expectorate. For patients who need a permanent artificial anus on the abdominal wall, the necessity of the artificial anus for treatment should be explained in detail before surgery, so that patients can have a certain psychological preparation to face reality and accept the facts, and build up the confidence to live bravely.

5. For patients with stoma in the abdomen, the stoma should be cleaned with normal saline every day, and oil gauze strips should be placed around the stoma. When cleaning, pay attention to the color of the stoma and the surrounding skin. Protect the skin around the stoma to reduce the stimulation of intestinal fluid and the appearance of eczema. Zinc oxide ointment or moist burn ointment is often used for protection. At the same time, replace the artificial anal bag in time and clean it to keep it clean to prevent infection of the stoma.

6. Patients and their families should master the method of replacing the artificial anal bag so that the patient can take care of himself after discharge. They should also pay attention to whether there is abdominal distension, abdominal pain, artificial anus stenosis or difficulty in defecation, and inform the medical staff in time if there is any abnormality.