About this topic
Surgery to open the belly or abdomen is a laparotomy. This is done so your doctor can look at different muscles and organs in the abdomen. Your doctor may look at your liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The doctor may also look at your kidneys, stomach, and large and small bowels. In women, the uterus may also be seen. Your doctor may need to do an exploratory laparotomy to: ‚
- Take out a tumor or cancer.
- Get rid of blood, blood clots, pus, or extra fluids.
- Take out part of or all of an organ.
- Treat problems of organs in the belly area.
- Look at organs after a crash, injury, or trauma.
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Some drugs may cause you to have a hard time going to the bathroom. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day and eat food with a lot of fiber to prevent this.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work or driving
- Be sure to wash your hands before touching your wound or dressing.
- Take daily walks around your block. This will help you feel better and prevent some problems from surgery.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Prevent infection
Will physical activity be limited?
You may need to rest for a while. You should not do physical activity that makes your health problem worse. If you run, work out, or play sports, you may not be able to do those things until your doctor tells you it is OK. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Nerve injury
- Injury to nearby organs or tissues
- Your surgery cut site does not heal the way it should
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, cough, more sputum or change in color of sputum, pain with passing urine, wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Very bad belly pain
- Trouble breathing
- Coughing up blood that does not go away with drugs
- Dizziness
- A large amount of swelling in your belly
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have redness or warmth around my wound.
Where can I learn more?
Better Health Channel ‚
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Laparotomy ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚