Postoperative phase

In the postoperative phase of some surgical procedures, your surgeon may recommend the use of recovery drains if they anticipate that bleeding in the first 6 hours after surgery will exceed approximately 500 ml.

Recovery drains allow the bleeding that occurs at the surgical site to be aspirated, filtered, and collected in a special bag containing an anticoagulant. Within the first 5 hours after surgery, according to the Unit's internal protocols, this filtered blood can be administered to the patient to help reduce the degree of post-operative anaemia. The system is designed as a closed circuit with no contact with the patient, so its use is generally accepted by patients who, for religious reasons, do not accept autologous blood transfusions.

Additional bleeding-reduction measures:

• Blood pressure control. Hypertension is a factor that will lead to increased post-operative bleeding, so it is important that the patient is given the necessary medication immediately after surgery to keep their blood pressure within normal ranges.
• Analgesia. Pain is a stress-inducing factor and, therefore, through direct and indirect action (raising blood pressure), it is also a factor that increases bleeding. The medical team will be responsible for adjusting an appropriate analgesic regimen to achieve proper control of post-operative pain.
• Nausea. Nausea, through increased pressure in the venous territory, is another factor that can increase post-operative bleeding. Therefore, as a matter of protocol, all patients undergoing major surgery receive pharmacological treatment to prevent nausea and vomiting.