Your Surgery
Before Surgery
- Your surgery will be scheduled during your preoperative appointment.
- Your surgeon may order lab work, EKG, X-rays and a history and physical with your primary care physician to be completed prior to the day of surgery.
- You will receive 2 phone calls from the Orthopaedic Surgery Center:
- Our business office will contact you regarding insurance coverage.
- Our pre-admission nurse will contact you to review your medical history, medications, instructions and expected arrival time for the day of surgery.
- It is important to complete this process prior to your date of surgery to avoid cancellation of your procedure. This information will be reviewed by an anesthesiologist so that we may be able to adequately plan for your care.
Items to consider prior to surgery:
- You MUST make arrangements for a responsible adult to accompany you to and from the Surgery Center and remain with you for 24 hours following surgery. Only one visitor will be permitted with each patient at the center.
- A parent or legal guardian must accompany a child scheduled for surgery and must remain at the facility for the entirety of the child’s stay.
- Your surgeon will instruct you on which medications to take and not take prior to surgery.
- If you have a Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, please bring a copy.
- If you have a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, it will be suspended during your surgery and immediate post-operative recovery period as your surgery is considered an elective procedure.
- Notify your surgeon or call the Surgery Center should you notice any symptoms of cold, flu, fever or illness.
The Evening Prior to Surgery:
- Do NOT eat anything after midnight the night before surgery.
- Do NOT smoke or drink any alcohol 24 hours prior to surgery.
- Do NOT shave your operative site for 96 hours prior to surgery.
Day of Surgery
- Do NOT eat anything after midnight and you may drink clear fluids up to 2 hours prior to surgery.
- Arrive to the Surgery Center at the time given to you during the pre-admission nurse phone call.
- Shower the morning of your surgery with an antimicrobial soap to assist in decreasing the risk of infection.
- Do NOT wear contact lenses, make-up, nail-polish, earrings, body piercings, or any other jewelry to the Surgery Center.
- If you wear dentures, you may be asked to remove them just before going to the operating room.
- Your designated responsible party must remain at the facility for the entirety of your stay.
When you arrive:
- Check in at the registration desk.
- You will be guided to the pre-operative area where a nurse will check your blood pressure, heart rate and temperature. An intravenous (IV) catheter may be started and lab samples may be collected.
- Your anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetist will discuss the anesthetic plan with you.
After Surgery
- You will be taken to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (Recovery) where your nurses will watch you closely until you are ready to be discharged.
- Prior to discharge, you and your family member will receive post-surgical care instructions reviewed with you by the nurse.
- A nurse from our center will call you the next working day following surgery to check on your recovery.
