Situation

What clinic follow up frequency , questions, and what investigations do routine patients who have undergone pulmonary resection for carcinoma undergo ?

Opinion

Opinion

Frequency

Patients should be seen 6 to 8 weeks postoperatively, then 3 monthly for the first year, 6 monthly for the second year and then yearly until 5 years, when a decision to discharge needs to be taken.

Questions

Routine questions asked to everyone include:

How are you ?

How is your appetite ? A VERY GOOD SCREENING QUESTION

How far are you walking ?

Do you have a cough, is it new or changed ?

Haemoptysis ?

Colour of sputum ? clear, white, green, brown, red

Any pain in bones or head ?

Have any of your medications particularly inhalers changed ?

Are you still smoking ?

Investigations

Weight, with comparison to previous readings

Plain PA chest x-ray.