Postoperative Complications

The purpose of this course is to provide nurses and all allied health professionals who care for postsurgical patients the knowledge necessary to recognize and manage common postoperative complications, improving patient care and outcomes. In addition, members of the public may use this course to enhance their personal knowledge of the subject matter presented.


Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:


1. List the steps necessary to obtain an accurate and thorough assessment of patients before, during, and after surgery.

2. Identify information that should always be obtained during the assessment of the preoperative patient.

3. Review the common complications of patients undergoing abdominal, orthopedic, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurologic, obstetric/gynecologic, and genitourinary surgeries.

4. Describe the development, progression, and management of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV).

5. Discuss the signs,symptoms, and treatment of malignant hyperthermia.

6. Review the implications of hypothermia, pain, and complications related to positioning in postsurgical patients.

7. List the most common respiratory complications following surgery and how to identify and manage these complications in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU).

8. Describe the cardiovascular complications that may disrupt the postoperative period and the appropriate interventions for each.

9. Discuss the development and management of postoperative neurologic complications.

10. Describe the process to appropriately assess and manage the patient with a volume status complication in the postoperative period.

11. Outline the steps to managing postoperative ileus.

12. Identify the signs andsymptoms, risk factors, and management of postsurgical renal insufficiency.

13. Describe the anatomic and physiologic differences between children and adults and determine how these differences impact postoperative care and complication development.

14. Identify the anatomic and physiologic differences between elderly and adult patients and the impact that these differences have on the development of postoperative complications.

15. Develop a protocol to be instituted in the PACU to limit the development of postoperative complications in the morbidly obese patient.


This 15-hour continuing education course is available for download for professional development; if continuing education credit is desired, please see instructions included in eBook.