The use of telemedicine after outpatient surgical treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities

Abstract

Introduction. Telemedicine is a new form of communication between a doctor and a patient. Of interest is the expediency of its use in the postoperative observation of patients. Aim. To analyze the possibility of optimizing the postoperative management of patients who underwent outpatient surgical treatment of VVLE using telemedicine. Materials and methods. The study was performed in two stages on patients with VVLE. At the first stage, a comparative prospective, randomized study of the main and comparison groups (50 patients C2 according to CEAP) in the early postoperative period was conducted. In the main group, telemedicine was used, in the comparison group – face-to-face examinations in the polyclinic. The frequency of complications associated with surgery, the frequency of acute respiratory infections and the time spent on a follow-up examination were compared. At the second stage, in 876 cases of telemedicine use in the postoperative period, the frequency and structure of complications requiring conversion to face-to-face examination were studied. Results. Significant differences between the compared groups were revealed by the frequency of acute respiratory infections and the time spent by the patient on a follow-up examination. The reasons for conversion from telemedicine to face-to-face examination: copious wetting of the bandage with blood, swelling and severe pain of the operated limb, hyperthermia are rare. Discussion. Most of the complications and side effects associated with surgical intervention registered in the study have characteristic specific manifestations: complaints and appearance, which allows them to be diagnosed through telemedicine. Conclusion. The use of telemedicine optimizes the postoperative period in patients with VVLE: the risk of infection with acute respiratory infections is reduced, the time of the doctor and the patient is saved, while there is no negative effect on the frequency associated with surgery.