Day of Duodenal Switch surgery

Being Prepared on the Day of Duodenal Switch surgery

The following is a generalized pathway for post-operative patients who proceed with a duodenal switch or a revision to a duodenal switch operation.

 1. Patients are seen in the Same Day Surgery area where they are prepared to go to operation room
 2. Seen in the holding area by the surgeon and the anesthesiologist and nurses
 3. Brought into the operating room and anesthetized for surgery
 4. IV put in neck, which allows for monitoring you after surgery as well as being a good IV so that you don’t require multiple IV insertions and      attempts at IV insertion in your arms over the next several days. This has been found to be a much better solution as the ability to obtain IV      access in obese patients can be very difficult
 5. Surgery is performed.
 6. Wake up in recovery room where you will have
     a. Foley
     b. Drain in abdomen
     c. Possibly a feeding tube in abdomen
     d. Iv in your neck
     e. In incision where all of the stitches are under the skin and dissolve
     f. Pulsatile stockings on your legs
     g. Oxygen canula in your nose
     h. No NG Tube
 7. Go to the Bariatric Unit in the ICU
 8. Control your pain with a patient controlled pump
 9. Deep breathing exercises and treatments
10. Ambulating that evening and every day several times
11. Blood thinner injected into your abdomen daily
12. Upper GI on the following day to insure that there is no leak
13. Gradual advancement of a liquid diet over a couple days
14. Removal of Foley and drains at the appropriate times
15. Discharge from hospital usually several days later without drains, or IV’s
16. Follow-up with surgeon in 2 weeks
17. Detailed written instructions given prior to discharge