Decompression-feeding regimen. Accelerating recovery after abdominal surgery

From the time the patients enter the hospital until discharge, the accelerated recovery technique demands more intensive treatment from nurses and physicians. These patients do not require a stay in the intensive care unit, but they do require intensive nursing care. Savings from reduced length of stay, however, far outweigh the nursing care cost. As the emphasis on earlier discharge in health care grows, accelerated recovery in abdominal surgery and other major procedures will become more common. With the accelerated recovery technique, the patient has an active, demanding role in his or her recovery. Much is expected of these patients during pulmonary physiotherapy, which begins shortly after admission and is maintained until discharge. The more conscientiously a patient participates in the physiotherapy, the more quickly and comfortably he or she will leave the hospital. The patient can honestly take credit for a quick recovery.