After surgery, lipid and hypertension medications should be handled how?

After surgery, lipid and hypertension medications should be handled how?

• A. Evaluate periodically and don't stop unless indicated
• B. Stop immediately
• C. Double the dose
• D. Stop without monitoring

Answer: (A)

After surgery, essential lipid-lowering and blood pressure meds should be continued with periodic reassessment. These medications help protect the heart and stabilize blood pressure during recovery, so stopping them abruptly can raise the risk of cardiovascular events or unstable blood pressure. The right approach is to monitor the patient and only stop or adjust the meds if there’s a specific indication or contraindication from the surgical team; otherwise, ongoing therapy is continued. Doubling the dose or stopping without monitoring can cause harm, and stopping immediately without guidance is not appropriate.