title: Outpatient ACL surgery: the role of the home health nurse.
abstract: Outpatient ACL reconstructive surgery is a recent trend in orthopaedics. The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), a large home care agency in Northern Virginia, provides skilled rehabilitation nursing care to these patients during the immediate postoperative period. Home care nurses visit these patients upon discharge from the hospital on the day of surgery and revisit on the first postoperative day. The nurses administer injections for pain, assess and reinforce dressings, evaluate the operative extremity for circulatory and sensory changes and instruct the clients regarding postoperative protocols. Patients who have received home health nursing following ACL reconstruction have recovered successfully without rehospitalization.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Neal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000556:Ambulatory Surgical Procedures / Q000451:nursing*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D003152:Community Health Nursing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016530:Orthopedic Nursing; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011182:Postoperative Care; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000451:nursing / Q000601:surgery