Passenger disorder of the gastrointestinal tract
Postoperatively, paralysis of the gastrointestinal tract may occur. Causes for gastric paralysis can be peritonitis, potassium deficiency, abscesses or even hematomas. Clinically, nausea, vomiting, belching, a feeling of fullness and gastroesophageal reflux occur.
The therapy consists of the application of a gastric tube, intravenous administration of peristalsis and laxative measures. Intestinal paralysis is one of the most common postoperative complications and is the result of normal postoperative bowel paralysis. Up to 4 to 5 days postoperatively, immobility of the bowel is still normal.
If it lasts longer, it requires clarification and therapy. The intestine may be immobile due to external manipulation, oxygen deficiency or hematomas and abscesses in the abdominal cavity. Clinically, patients suffer from a feeling of fullness, nausea and vomiting after anesthesia.
Intestinal noises are very sparse and electrolyte imbalances may occur. A stomach tube should be inserted first, and the intestine should be stimulated with medication. The best way to avoid a postoperative intestinal paralysis is an early oral food intake and an early mobilization.
Post-bleeding
Postoperatively, this leads to bleeding into the wound area and not completely closed vessels or coagulation defects. Hemorrhages in the neck are particularly dangerous, as even small amounts can lead to a narrowing of the windpipe and breathing difficulties. Clinically, massive post-bleeding results in a drop in blood pressure due to blood loss and a rise in pulse rate, in which the heart tries to compensate for the loss by pumping harder.
The drains pump blood and there can be an increase in circumference in the wound area. The therapy depends on the extent of post-bleeding. In the case of large post-operative bleeding, the wound must be reopened in order to find and eliminate the cause of the bleeding.
Complications after a hip TEP
In general, the insertion of an artificial hip joint is part of the medical standard. This surgical method is a relatively safe procedure, which can usually be performed safely and without problems due to the high level of experience. Nevertheless, post-operative complications can occur in some cases after a hip TEP.
Above all, the so-called “general surgical risks”, which can therefore occur regardless of the type of surgical intervention, play a decisive role in this context. The most frequent general postoperative complications after hip replacement surgery are blood loss, the development of inflammatory processes and the occurrence of thrombosis. The type of surgery can also cause specific postoperative complications.Immediately after insertion of the hip TEP, bacterial pathogens can migrate into the artificial hip joint and cause inflammatory processes or infections.
In addition, dislocation, also known as luxation, of the individual parts of the hip TEP is one of the most common postoperative complications. Furthermore, during the healing process, a loosening of the hip TEP components and a consequent restriction of the joint function can occur. Although these early postoperative complications can be observed repeatedly, they occur relatively rarely.
In less than one out of one hundred hip TEP operations, serious postoperative complications occur that would require treatment. Nevertheless, it must be noted in this context that new complications can occur even after several weeks or months after hip replacement surgery. The most frequent late postoperative complication that can occur in the course of a hip TEP procedure is the formation of new bone substance in the joint area.
In medical terminology, this phenomenon is called “periarticular ossification“. Depending on the patient, this new bone formation can take on a different extent and cause further complaints. Depending on the extent of new bone formation, patients suffer from pain and significant restrictions in their range of motion even after successful hip replacement surgery.
Postoperative complications that occur in the course of hip TEP can, however, be prevented to a large extent. In particular, the one-time irradiation of the hip joint with ionizing radiation leads to a reduction of postoperative complications. This method should be performed within a period of 24 hours before and 72 hours after the planned operation. This method is especially beneficial for patients with an increased risk of new bone formation in the hip joint. Possible factors that increase the risk of postoperative complications after hip TEP are
- New bone formation after previous surgical procedures
- Significant movement restrictions in front of the hip TEP system
- Bechterew’s disease
- Pronounced tissue damage during the surgical procedure