Post-op
Medical abbreviation · Surgical
| Stands for | Postoperative |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
Post-op stands for Postoperative, a surgical abbreviation.
Refers to the period after surgery, from recovery in the post-anesthesia care unit through the hospital stay and follow-up visits. It appears in order sets, notes and patient instructions covering pain control, wound care, activity restrictions and complications.
Example: Post-op check: incision clean and dry, pain 3/10 on oral analgesics.
Usage notes
Also written postop. The "post-op check" is a brief evaluation several hours after surgery to catch early bleeding or other complications. Medicare's global surgical package bundles routine post-op visits for 10 or 90 days, depending on the procedure, into the surgical fee.
Related abbreviations
More surgical abbreviations
- MRM – Modified radical mastectomy
- NSQIP – National Surgical Quality Improvement Program
- PAT – Preadmission testing
- PE – Pressure equalization (tubes)
- Phaco – Phacoemulsification
- POD – Postoperative day
- Pre-op – Preoperative
- PRK – Photorefractive keratectomy
- RCR – Rotator cuff repair
- SLNB – Sentinel lymph node biopsy
- STSG – Split-thickness skin graft
- T&A – Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy
See all 51 surgical abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.