Seip at al reported a scale for evaluating a patient for discharge after bariatric surgery. The authors are from Hartford Hospital.
Parameters:
(1) vital signs: heart rate, temperature, and respiratory rate
(2) ambulation
(3) clear liquid intake
(4) postoperative pain score on a VAS scale from 0 to 10
(5) postoperative nausea and vomiting on a scale from 0 to 6
Target vital signs: heart rate < 90 bpm; temperature <= 37.6°C; respiratory rate < 20 bpm
|
Parameter
|
Finding
|
Points
|
|
vital signs
|
all on target
|
1
|
|
|
not all on target
|
0
|
|
ambulation without assistance
|
no assistance or preoperative status
|
1
|
|
|
assistance or worse than preoperative
|
0
|
|
clear liquid intake
|
< 450 mL over 8 hours
|
0
|
|
|
>= 450 mL over 8 hours
|
1
|
|
pain
|
0 to 6
|
1
|
|
|
7 to 10
|
0
|
|
nausea and vomiting
|
0 to 3
|
1
|
|
|
4 to 6
|
0
|
total score =
= SUM(points for all of the parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score 5
• A score of 5 indicates that the patient is ready for discharge.
There were 2 patterns seen during recovery:
(1) steady progress/improvement
(2) oscillators (one or more temporary decreases)
