What may increase your risk for problems after surgery?
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What may increase your risk for problems after surgery?
If you need to call your surgeon about a symptom or problem, be sure that you remind him or her about your other conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases. You may be at risk for a more serious problem following surgery if you have any of the following.
Conditions
- Age older than 60
- History of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE)
- History of bowel obstruction
- History of kidney failure
- History of transient ischemic attack (TIA) or stroke
- Malnutrition
- Mobility problems that confine you to a bed or chair
- Obesity
- Presence of an indwelling catheter, such as a feeding tube, IV line, or urinary catheter
- Previous surgery to the surgical area
- Surgery to remove the spleen
Lifestyle choices
- Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
- Drug abuse or withdrawal
- Smoking or other tobacco use
Medicines
- Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin
- Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
- Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
- Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy)
- Radiation therapy
Diseases
- Asthma
- Anemia
- Cancer
- Chronic bronchitis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema
- Chronic upper respiratory infections, such as chronic sinusitis, ear infections, or tonsillitis
- Cystic fibrosis
- Depression or bipolar disorder
- Diabetes
- Eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia
- Enlargement of the prostate gland (benign prostatic hypertrophy)
- Heart disease
- Hemophilia
- High blood pressure
- History of deep vein thrombosis
- History of phlebitis
- History of a stroke
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
- Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
- Kidney failure
- Leukemia
- Liver disease or cirrhosis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Sickle cell disease
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Von Willebrand's disease
Credits
| Author | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery |
| Last Updated | January 15, 2007 |
| Last updated: | January 15, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Reviewed By: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Brent Shoji, MD - General Surgery |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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