Most patients go to the recovery room after surgery. If the operation did not require much in the way of anesthetic agents, then patients may be taken to the post recovery lounge from where they will be sent home. Sometimes if you will be admitted, you may go directly to your hospital room. If the operation was major, or if you need close observation, you will be taken directly to an ICU. The very vast majority of patients go to the recovery room after surgery. In the recovery room, monitors are placed, similar to the ones in the operating room. Pertinent information about your medical history and the anesthetic and surgical course are given to the nurse or other medical personnel who will take care of you. In the recovery room you will wake up more fully, and in fact, most patients think that they woke up after surgery in the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit) rather than in the operating room.

Patients remain in the PACU until they are alert, vital signs are stable, and they are able to take care of themselves as expected depending on the kind of operation undergone. Pain, nausea and vomiting are issues in this setting, and the personnel in the PACU will administer appropriate care and medicines. You only have to let them know that you have a problem. A sore throat is not uncommon, especially if you were intubated for surgery. Patients usually feel thirsty in the PACU and ice chips, which will also soothe your throat, may be given. You should not, however, expect to have a meal here, as your gastrointestinal tract may not be back to its usual level of function.

A further word about pain. You should not have to bear very significant amounts of pain while in hospital. If an epidural catheter was placed previously, medication will be given through it. Most major institutions have a Pain Management service which can be called on by your surgeon if you have an epidural catheter in place or if your level of pain requires an expert in this field. The pain specialist may be an anesthesiologist or a neurologist who has a large armamentarium to control your discomfort. If you have chronic pain issues, you may want to ask for further information during your preoperative visit, or sometime before surgery.

Pain can often interfere with your recovery, especially if you have had a procedure in the upper abdomen or chest. If it hurts when you take a deep breath, you probably will not be taking many deep breaths, which is a big component of your recovery. Therefore, we need to keep you comfortable. A contraption we use to help you take deep breaths is called an incentive spirometer. It is designed to have you inhale and move a plastic ball which can be regulated to the amount of force you generate when inhaling. The purpose is to have you expand your lungs frequently and completely. This helps prevent your lungs from closing in certain areas and improves your ventilation. You can begin using the incentive spirometer in the PACU, on the floor or even at home after discharge.

When it has been determined that your postoperative course is stable and that you will only require routine nursing care, then you will be escorted to your room. Before you leave the recovery room, a physician, likely an anesthesiologist, reviews your course and then permits your discharge from the PACU.

Once on the floor, when your pain is controlled and you are utilizing the incentive spirometer, it is time to begin ambulating. Walking helps circulate the blood around your body, especially your legs. This minimizes formation of blood clots in your legs which can lead to phlebitis and even worse, a clot which goes from the legs to the lungs leading to respiratory problems.

Some people have difficulty walking even before surgery. For these people, special 'air boots' are placed over the calves which inflate and deflate to assist in circulating blood around your legs. Other patients may receive heparin, a blood thinner, which is injected into the skin and also minimizes clot formation. The goal is to prevent, as best as possible, the formation of sludge and clot in the legs.