Postoperative Bleeding after Thyroid Surgery: Care Instructions

Abstract

Prospective studies on the incidence, etiology, and prognosis of well-characterized patients with bleeding after thyroid surgery are lacking. Bleeding after thyroid surgery cannot be predicted or prevented even if risk factors are known in every single procedure, which enhances the im-portance of the following issues: (a) meticulous hemostasis and surgical technique; (b) coopera-tion with the anesthesiologist, i.e., controlling the Valsalva maneuver, adequate blood pressure at the end of the operation as well as at extubation phase and (c) in case of bleeding, a prompt management to guarantee a better outcome. This requires an intensive postoperative clinical monitoring of patients, ideally, in a recovery room with trained staff for at least 4-6 h. Early recognition of postoperative bleeding with immediate intervention is the key to the management of this complication.