About ESTS

The immediate postoperative period in the hospital

During admission, different professionals will be around helping you recover. This is the time for normalizing your life and detecting possible complications.

Total time of admission is related to the type of surgery, the possibility of removing drains and the existence of postoperative complications. Your doctors will decide when you are ready for discharge after the daily rounds. Probably discharge will be announced to you one day in advance for better coordination.

Normally, you would be discharge without chest drainage. However, prolong air leak is the most frequent complication after lung surgery. Prolong air leak means that air is still escaping from your lung because not a complete pulmonary healing had occurred. In these cases, patients are discharged home with the drainage in placed. If this is the case, you will come back at the outpatient clinics for regular follow up until the drainage is removed

Learn more about recovery once at home.

Learn more about counselling.

Several aspects are crucial for a positive outcome after surgery:

Oral intake

Because no procedure has been done over the gut, you will start drinking to test your tolerance for oral intake very soon. Nurses will indicate you when. Do not hesitate to do it. It will help you feel much better sooner. Very quickly you will find yourself eating your regular diet and taking all or most of your chronic medication back.

Exercise

Another basic pillar for a fast and complete recovery is exercise: mobilization and chest physiotherapy. As soon as possible, you will be indicated to get out of bed, sit on a chair and walk. Soon, a chest physiotherapist will help you initiate all the respiratory and general exercise you have been performing since before surgery

Pain control

Good pain control is a priority. Doctors will prescribe specific medications for pain control. Nursing staff will regularly assess your pain and will do everything possible to minimize it using different alternatives. Direct communication with your doctors and nurses is essential for good pain control to help prevent complications.

Thoracic drainage

After surgery, you will have a chest tube connected to a specific reservoir. These drains collect air and fluids secondary to the surgery. You can move with it without any problem. Doctors and nurses will control it deciding the best moment to remove it. Chest tube removal is not painful. You will be asked to collaborate during its removal performing a long respiratory expiration for a safe procedure.

Supplementary tests

Depending on your general situation and the local policy, you will have taken one or more chest Rx during admission. These images will help doctors verifying your recovery after surgery.

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