It is important to refrain from eating and/or drinking prior to surgery in order to prevent the risks of aspirating gastric contents (complication related to vomiting) during your surgery. This complication may be very serious. Specific instructions based on national safety standards will be provided to you prior to your procedure. It is very important that you follow the provided instructions. If you do not, your surgery may be delayed or cancelled.
All surgical procedures and all anesthetics have risks. These risks are dependent upon many factors, including the type of surgery and the medical condition of the patient. Your anesthesiologist will assess you preoperatively and every precaution will be taken to minimize your risk. We routinely see minor symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, sore throat, dizziness, tiredness, headache, muscle aches and pain, most of which are easily treated. Please feel free to discuss any questions with your anesthesia provider.
Yes. There are five different categories of sedation and anesthesia: Conscious Sedation, General, Regional, Monitored Anesthesia Care and Local Anesthesia. Regardless of the type of sedation or anesthesia that you receive, special anesthetic agents and techniques are used to provide a safe and speedy recovery. If there are alternative choices available for your surgery, your physician or anesthesia provider will discuss them with you before surgery.
The amount of recovery time varies from patient to patient. After your procedure, a nurse will monitor your vital signs and make sure you are alert and stable. You will be sent home as soon as your health care team feels it is safe to discharge you from the facility.
Most patients should continue their usual medications after surgery. Patients who have diabetes and those patients on blood thinners may require some adjustment of their medications. These instructions will be clarified with you before you leave the facility. If you have any questions, please call your surgeon or primary care physician.
Most likely not. Due to a need to protect the privacy of other patients receiving care at the surgery center, we are not able to guarantee that family will be able to join patients during the post-operative period. However, your physician and your nurse will be informing your family of your condition and will be available to address any concerns they may have.
The management of your pain is of great importance to us. We will be assessing your level of pain from the time of admission until you receive our post-operative call at home. During your stay at the facility, you will be repeatedly asked to rate your pain using a numerical scale (1-10). We will often use a combination of different modalities to help make you comfortable – choosing from oral medications, intravenous medications, nerve blocks, injection of local anesthetic during the surgery, etc. It is important to follow instructions regarding your post-operative pain medication closely. Many pain medications take 20 to 30 minutes to begin to work. For best results, the pain medication should be taken before the pain becomes too strong.
This will depend upon a number of factors. However, we believe that familiar faces can assist in reducing your anxiety about the procedure, so please do not hesitate to inform the nurse that you would like a friend or family member to sit with you.
Your safety is our primary concern. Your entire health care team will follow rigorous guidelines regarding site identification and procedure confirmation. National Patient Safety Goals have been developed which require your involvement too. You will be asked numerous times to confirm both the procedure you are having and the surgical site. You should take a very active role in all discussions with your physician, your anesthesia provider and our staff regarding the identification of your procedure and the correct surgical site. You will mark the site prior to your procedure and your physician will verify the site as well.
A nurse will conduct a pre-operative assessment that will include taking your vital signs and starting an IV if it is required for your procedure. The anesthesia provider will also speak with you in the pre-operative area to review all pre-operative information and discuss your anesthesia.
When you arrive at the facility, you will be checked in by a member of our staff. The admission process is usually very quick as we have obtained most of your information prior to your arrival. This final check allows us to verify all of your key information so we can better serve you.
Yes. You will be contacted the day before surgery by a nurse to verify the time you should arrive at the surgery center on your day of surgery and to answer any questions you may have. You may also be contacted by the anesthesiologist to review your medical history and discuss your anesthetic plan of care.
- Yes. Prior to your day of surgery, you will be scheduled for a pre-operative assessment appointment. You will need to bring the following items with you to that appointment:
Please bring photo identification and your insurance card(s). Our staff will need to verify and make copies when you check-in on the day of your pre-operative appointment.
- Please bring all surgery center forms we have requested you to fill out prior to your arrival at the surgery center on your day of pre-operative assessment.
- Please bring payment of any patient responsibility (e.g. co-payment or deductible).