Re-understanding postoperative fatigue syndrome

Postoperative Fatigue Syndrome (POFS) is a series of clinical phenomena with fatigue, muscle weakness, drowsiness, decreased concentration and activity as the main symptoms that occur in patients during the recovery process after surgery, especially major abdominal surgery. This syndrome not only prolongs the patient's recovery time, but also significantly reduces the patient's quality of life, bringing heavy economic and social burdens to individuals and families. This article will explore the causes, manifestations and nursing measures of postoperative fatigue syndrome in depth to help patients and their families better understand and deal with this problem.

1. Cause Analysis

The causes of postoperative fatigue syndrome are complex and diverse, mainly including the following aspects:

(1) Surgical trauma and blood loss: The trauma and blood loss caused by the surgery itself lead to a large consumption of body energy and a slow recovery process.

(2) Side effects of drugs: Analgesics, antibiotics and other drugs used after surgery may cause fatigue.

(3) Physical stress response: The stress response caused by surgery will affect the endocrine system and immune system, further aggravating the feeling of fatigue.

(4) Psychological stress: Emotional problems such as anxiety and depression caused by surgery can also aggravate fatigue symptoms.

(5) Insufficient sleep and decreased sleep quality: Postoperative pain, treatment interference and other factors affect the patient's sleep quality.

2. The clinical manifestations of postoperative fatigue syndrome are diverse, mainly including:

(1) Extreme fatigue: Patients often feel persistent fatigue that is difficult to relieve even with rest.

(2) Muscle weakness: Muscle strength decreases significantly, making daily activities difficult.

(3) Drowsiness and insomnia: Some patients experience drowsiness, but some also suffer from insomnia, especially difficulty falling asleep at night or waking up early.

(4) Decreased attention and activity: Inability to concentrate and loss of interest in daily activities.

(5) Emotional changes: Frequent emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, and irritability.

3. Nursing measures

The nursing measures for postoperative fatigue syndrome need to comprehensively consider the patient's physical condition, psychological state and postoperative recovery needs. The following are detailed nursing measures:

(1) Rest and exercise management

① Ensure adequate rest: In the early postoperative period, patients should stay in bed as much as possible and reduce unnecessary physical activities to reduce the body's energy consumption and promote recovery. Creating a quiet and comfortable resting environment to avoid external noise and light interference will help patients rest better.

② Moderate activities: As the body gradually recovers, patients are encouraged to do moderate activities under the guidance of doctors or nurses, such as walking, simple stretching exercises, etc. Moderate activities can help promote blood circulation, accelerate body metabolism, and relieve fatigue. However, be careful to avoid strenuous exercise to avoid adding burden to the body.

(2) Diet care

① Balanced nutrition: The diet should be high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, such as lean meat, fish, eggs, milk, fresh vegetables, and fruits, to meet the body's nutritional needs and promote recovery. Avoid eating overly greasy, spicy, and irritating foods to avoid increasing the burden on the stomach and affecting nutrient absorption.

② Eat small and frequent meals: The digestive function of patients after surgery may be weak. It is recommended to eat small and frequent meals to reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract while ensuring a continuous supply of nutrition.

(3) Psychological support

① Emotional counseling: Pay attention to the patient's emotional changes, communicate with the patient in a timely manner, understand the patient's psychological needs, and provide necessary psychological counseling and support. Encourage patients to express their inner feelings and reduce the impact of negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. ② Family companionship: Encourage family members to accompany the patient more, provide emotional support and care, and enhance the patient's sense of security and belonging.

(4) Sleep management

① Create a good sleeping environment: Keep the room quiet, warm and comfortable, adjust the indoor light and temperature to a suitable range, and avoid external factors interfering with the patient's sleep. Auxiliary tools such as eye masks and earplugs can be used to help patients fall asleep better.

② Establish regular sleeping habits: Encourage patients to maintain a fixed sleep time every day, avoid staying up late and disrupting the biological clock. Avoid drinking stimulating drinks such as coffee and tea before going to bed to avoid affecting sleep quality.

(5) Continuous observation and symptomatic treatment

①Regular follow-up: Patients should go to the hospital for regular check-ups, monitor their physical recovery, and adjust care and treatment plans in a timely manner.

② Symptomatic treatment: Patients should communicate with their doctors in a timely manner for symptoms such as pain and insomnia, and take appropriate treatment measures to relieve the pain. If the pain is obvious, analgesics can be used as prescribed by the doctor; if the insomnia is severe, sleep aids or cognitive behavioral sleep therapy can be considered.

(6) Other nursing measures

①Prevent infection: Keep the surgical incision and surrounding skin clean and dry, change the dressing regularly to avoid infection.

② Promote body circulation: Encourage patients to take deep breaths, cough and other actions to promote lung expansion and sputum discharge, and prevent complications such as lung infection and atelectasis. Appropriate massage and hot compress can also help promote blood circulation and relieve muscle tension.

③ Drug assistance: For patients with severe postoperative fatigue symptoms, you can consider using traditional Chinese medicine or nutritional supplements to replenish qi and blood for auxiliary treatment under the guidance of a doctor. However, it should be noted that the use of drugs should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor to avoid the risks of self-medication.

In short, the nursing measures for postoperative fatigue syndrome need to be comprehensively managed from multiple aspects such as rest and exercise, diet, psychology, sleep, etc., in order to promote the physical and psychological recovery of patients. At the same time, the close cooperation between medical staff and family members is also the key to ensure the effective implementation of nursing measures.

3. Conclusion

Postoperative fatigue syndrome is one of the common complications after surgery, with complex causes and diverse manifestations. Scientific nursing measures, including reasonable rest and exercise, balanced diet, psychological support, sleep management, continuous observation and symptomatic treatment, can effectively relieve patients' fatigue symptoms and promote physical recovery. Patients and their families should fully understand the relevant knowledge of postoperative fatigue syndrome, actively cooperate with the doctor's treatment and nursing plan, and work together for the patient's recovery.

Yuan Ye, Department of Surgery, Henan Chest Hospital

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