The intra-operative phase of the AAA care pathway outlines the in hospital plan for patients. During the intra-operative phase the patient will undergo their AAA repair and start their post operative recovery.
Patient's expectations should be addressed and a discharge plan compiled once the patient is admitted to hospital. This will ensure that the patient is aware of how their recovery is expected to progress and when they should be discharged. It is important to clarify that the plan may change, but there is evidence to show that giving patients expected dates of discharge and discharge plans reduces length of stay (Podore. P.C (1998)).
The flow diagrams below shows the intra-operative phase in the AAA pathway. The image on the left shows the steps to be taken and the image on the right shows the required actions to meet the Vascular Society standards.
Click here to download a copy of a discharge planning/criteria led discharge template (doc). A longer term post-operative plan can be seen here (ppt). These templates can be modified/adapted as appropriate for agreed adoption in your unit. To speak to one of the teams who have implemented discharge planning in their unit, contact details can be found here.
Patients should be given recovery leaflets during the intra-operative phase. For more information and to download a copy of the leaflets see the Patient Information pages.
Below are some additional details and protocols of interventions other units have implemented. These are open to local adaptation and implementation as necessary.
