Patient safety postoperative period

In 2004 the occurrence of a sentinel event - an incompatible blood group heart transplant - at University Hospital Zurich abruptly made patient safety a central concern of the hospital. This sentinel event created a major public stir, not least because the patient, who died in the postoperative period, was followed live by a television reporting team. The way in which this sentinel event was dealt with thus became a matter of public interest. Attention was no longer focused... 

ControUed-release oral formulation of morphine sulfate is not indicated for pain in the immediate postoperative period (the first 12-24 horns following sm-gery) in patients not previously taking the drug, because its safety in this setting has not been established. 

The postoperative period is one of the most precarious periods influencing the success of surgery and patient safety. Patients should be instructed about all the common complications including pain, bleeding, hematoma and false aneurysm. 

A biodegradable polymer matrix containing dexamethasone has been developed to treat postcataract uveitis. The device, called Surodex , is 1mm long and 0.5 mm wide and can be designed to release dexamethasone for periods ranging from days to months (Fig. 3) (17). In a Phase I human clinical trial the device effectively suppressed postoperative inflammation in six patients who underwent cataract surgery without any clinically significant adverse safety problems. 

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