Instructions for your child after a VATS (Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery
INCISION CARE
- You may remove the primary dressings (gauze covered with a clear Tegaderm) three days after surgery. You may then apply a bandaid as needed for comfort or if there is drainage from the sites.
- After the chest tube is removed, the incision may continue to drain for 48 hours. Change the dressing if it becomes soaked. Cover with sterile gauze and tape until the site is dry.
- The child may shower or take a tub bath once the primary dressings are removed. Clean the incision sites with soap and water.
- The paper tape (Steri-strips) covering the incision sites will fall off on their own. If they are still in place after 7 days you may remove them.
- Please call our office if the child develops fever of 100.5 or greater or if you note increasing redness, swelling, or drainage from the incision sites.
Activity
- The child may gradually resume regular activities as tolerated. Pace the child with a balance of activity and rest using good judgment.
- The patient should be up, dressed and moving each day. It is normal for the child to feel tired after discharge, but it is important to take deep breaths and to walk to expand the lungs.
- Dress the child comfortably in loose fitting clothing that allows him/her to move freely.
- Young adults may not drive while taking pain medication or if they cannot move freely because of pain or discomfort.
Discomfort
- It is normal for the child to have discomfort at the incision sites and at the chest tube site(s). Follow the directions for pain medicine prescribed at the time of discharge.
- You may substitute the prescriptive narcotic pain medicine with Tylenol or Ibuprofen as the pain decreases over the days following discharge.
Please call the Office if your child develops any of the following:
- A temperature (rectal or oral) of >100.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If the child develops shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
- If the child has pain despite the prescription medication.
- If there is increasing redness, swelling, or drainage from the incision sites.
- If there is drainage three days after the chest tube is removed or if the drainage looks cloudy.
Follow-Up
- If you do not have a follow-up appointment scheduled, please call your surgeon’s office to schedule a visit 2 weeks from the time of discharge from the hospital.
These instructions are provided as a basic post-operative guideline. Please call to speak with your Pediatric Surgeon or the nurse practitioner if you have any questions or concerns about your child.
