Surgical complications can involve infections, persistent pain, inadequate wound healing, and joint stiffness.
Weight Loss
Obesitycan exacerbate joint pain and can contribute to the need for joint replacement.
Obesity also makes knee and joint replacement surgery riskier.
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Your healthcare provider or physical therapist can guide you when it comes to safe and pain-free physical activity.
Quitting smoking prior to surgery can improve the outcome after joint replacement.
If possible, limiting alcohol consumption prior to elective surgery can help prevent complications.
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And informing your healthcare team about the amount of alcohol you consume is equally important.
Many people underestimate the amount of alcohol they consume.
Give this information to your healthcare provider to help them manage your care when you undergo surgery.
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Prolonged hospitalization is the most common surgical complication that affects people who consume heavy alcohol.
Manage Blood Glucose
If you havediabetes, surgery can affect your blood sugar.
There are many aspects of surgery that can affect blood glucose.
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RBCs are oxygen-carrying cells, and a deficiency can cause problems related to surgical healing.
Anemia also increases the likelihood that you may need a blood transfusion after having a joint replacement.
Causes of anemia include:
Most often,postoperative anemiacan be prevented with treatment prior to surgery.
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The treatment for different types of anemia varies.
It is important to identify clinical depression prior to undergoing joint replacement surgery.
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