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Hospital recovery room

After the operation is over, you will be moved to a recovery room. This is an area near the operating theatre where there is monitoring equipment and specially trained staff. In some hospitals, it may be called a recovery ward or post-anaesthesia care unit. It might be a shared space or a private room.

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Overview

People who need a high level of care will go into the high dependency unit (HDU) or intensive care unit (ICU) for the first night or for a few days. You will be moved out of the HDU or ICU as your condition improves. Your surgeon will tell you before surgery if it’s likely you will be moved to one of these units.

While the anaesthetic wears off, a recovery nurse will check your wound, pain levels and vital signs. They will also give you medicine or fluids to help reduce side effects caused by the anaesthetic. You may have several tubes in place.

Tubes and drains you might have

intravenous (IV) drip
  • inserted into a vein in your arm or hand
  • gives you fluids until you can eat and drink again
  • also used to give pain relief and other medicines
  • may be in place for a few hours or a few days, depending on the surgery
breathing tube
  • inserted down your throat to help you breathe during surgery
  • usually removed while you are under anaesthetic, but may stay in if you go to ICU
surgical drain
  • a tube placed in the wound to drain fluid from the surgical site into a small bottle or bag
  • may stay in for a few days or a few weeks, depending on how much fluid is being collected and the type of operation
urinary catheter
  • a thin tube that drains urine from your bladder into a bag
  • may stay in for a few hours or a few days, depending on the type of operation
  • usually removed when you start walking after surgery and can get to the toilet
nasogastric (NG) tube
  • a thin tube placed through your nose into the stomach
  • used to remove fluid from the stomach until bowel function returns to normal or for feeding (see below)
feeding tube
  • may be needed if you are unable to eat and drink after surgery
  • a tube is placed into your stomach or small bowel, either through your nostril (NG tube) or an opening on the outside of your abdomen (gastrostomy tube)
  • usually temporary, but sometimes permanent

Leaving the recovery room

You will leave the recovery room when the nursing staff are satisfied that your vital signs are stable and that you are comfortable.

  • Day surgery – You will be moved to the day surgery unit where you will get dressed and have something to eat and drink before going home. Your surgeon will often see you here to discuss the procedure.
  • Inpatient surgery – If you are staying in hospital to recover, you will be moved from the recovery room to a ward.

→ READ MORE: Side effects of general anaesthetic

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Key resource

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Understanding Surgery

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This information was last reviewed in May 2023. View who reviewed this content.

Prof Elisabeth Elder, Specialist Breast Surgeon, Westmead Breast Cancer Institute and University of Sydney, NSW; Chanelle Curnuck, Dietitian – Dietetics and Nutrition, Sir Charles Gairdner Osborne Park Health Care Group, WA; Department of Anaesthetics, Perioperative Medicine and Pain Medicine, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Jessica Feeney, Nurse Unit Manager, Breast, Endocrine and Gynaecology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; A/Prof Richard Gallagher, Head and Neck Surgeon, Director of Cancer Services and Head and Neck Cancer Services, St Vincent’s Health Network, NSW; John Leung, Consumer; Rohan Miegel, Senior Physiotherapist – Cancer Care, Flinders Medical Centre, SA; A/Prof Nicholas O’Rourke, University of Queensland and Head of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane Hospital, QLD; Lucy Pollerd, Social Worker, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Suzanne Ryan, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Department of General Surgery, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, QLD; Rebecca Yeoh, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council Queensland.

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