Nursing care for patients with osteosarcoma amputation

Nowadays, more and more osteosarcoma patients have to undergo amputation surgery due to the severity of their condition. Amputation surgery itself causes great physical and mental trauma to patients. If no relevant care is provided after the operation, it may cause secondary harm to the patients. So how to care for osteosarcoma amputation patients? Let me give you a detailed introduction below.

The following care can be provided after amputation

(1) Body position: The affected limb should be elevated for 24 to 48 hours after surgery to prevent swelling. For lower limb amputees, lie prone for 20 to 30 minutes every 3 to 4 hours, and support the residual limb with a pillow to press it downward; when lying supine, do not elevate the affected limb to avoid flexion contracture of the knee joint.

(2) Observe and prevent postoperative bleeding: Pay attention to the bleeding of the limb stump after amputation, the nature and amount of drainage fluid from the wound. For those with heavy bleeding, a cotton pad and elastic bandage can be used for pressure bandaging; if the amount of bleeding is large, a tourniquet should be used immediately to stop the bleeding, and the doctor should be informed and cooperate with the treatment. Therefore, a tourniquet should be placed next to the patient's bed for emergency use.

(3) Phantom limb pain: Most amputation patients still feel pain or other abnormal sensations in the amputated limb for a considerable period of time after surgery, which is called phantom limb pain. The pain is often persistent, especially at night, and is a psychological factor. Guide the patient to look at the residual limb and accept the reality of amputation. Use relaxation therapy and other psychological treatment methods to gradually eliminate the phantom limb feeling. For patients with long duration, tap the stump, or use physical therapy, blockade, and nerve blockade to eliminate phantom limb pain.

(4) Functional training of residual limbs: Generally, functional training begins 2 weeks after surgery, when the wound has healed. The method is: use elastic bandages to bandage the residual limbs repeatedly every day, evenly compress the residual limbs to promote soft tissue contraction; massage, pat and step on the residual limbs to increase the residual limbs' load-bearing capacity. Make temporary prostheses and encourage patients to use them as soon as possible after removing the stitches, which can eliminate edema, promote residual limb maturation, and prepare for the installation of prostheses.

In addition to the above care, we should encourage patients to increase their oral diet and take in foods rich in protein, energy and vitamins. For those who do not take enough oral food, enteral or parenteral nutrition support should be provided according to the doctor's advice, and corresponding nursing measures should be implemented.