Postoperative Discomfort Among Laparotomy Patients from a Selected Hospital at Mangaluru: An Observational Study

Background Factors causing postoperative discomfort after laparotomy are numerous and must be explored in depth. The postoperative distress may significantly affect the patient's state of well-being. Hence, the present study aims to assess the factors contributing to discomfort after laparotomy.Aim The aim was to assess and compare the discomfort between open and laparoscopic abdominal surgery.Objectives of the Study1. To analyze the causes of patient's discomfort after abdominal surgery.2. To compare the discomfort between open and laparoscopic abdominal surgery.3. To determine the association between pain and selected variables among open and laparoscopic abdominal surgery.Materials and Methods An exploratory approach with a prospective observational design was adopted for this study. Using the purposive sampling technique, 100 patients were selected to open and 100 to laparoscopic abdominal surgery groups. Data were collected using demographic and clinical proforma and standardized postoperative discomfort inventory 6 and 24 hours after the surgery. The assessment focused on the study variables such as symptoms after the surgery and the factors contributing to the postoperative discomfort.Statistical Analysis The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS software version 20.Results Among 200 participants, most of the open (68%) and laparoscopic abdominal surgeries (42%) belong to 25 to 35 years of age. Also, 54% and 13% were diabetic in open and laparoscopic abdominal surgery groups, respectively. Most samples (56% in open and 68% in laparoscopic surgery) stayed 5 and 10 hours in postoperative ICU. In open and laparoscopic abdominal surgeries, pain is the primary (100%) cause of postoperative discomfort after 6 hours of surgery. Movement restriction is also the reason for significant discomfort both in open (98%) and laparoscopic (100%) abdominal surgeries.In contrast, pain (99% and 100%), movement restriction (92% and 95%), and abdominal distention (61% and 34%) were the major problems contributing to the patient's discomfort after 24 hours of both open and laparoscopic surgeries too. There was a significant difference in causes of patient discomfort between open and laparoscopic abdominal surgery after 6 hours ( P < 0.05), except for discomfort related to IV drip ( P = 0.852), constipation ( P = 0.2), and chills ( P = 0.6).Conclusion Even though pain is the major distressing factor both in open and laparoscopic surgeries, the current study highlights a few other factors that affect postoperative recovery. Nurses' attention to such distressing factors will fasten patients' recovery and quality of life after abdominal surgery.