Day of Surgery

Arrival:
It is important that you arrive at the Center one hour before your procedure unless you are instructed otherwise. Please remember to bring your photo ID, your insurance card and accepted method of payment for any money due at the time of registration.

What to Expect:
You will be asked to sign a consent form, which verifies that you and your doctor have discussed the surgery to be performed as well as the associated risks.

During pre-admission, the pre-op assessment nurse will complete verification of the correct patient, correct procedure and correct operative site by:

Consulting with you and/or your representative
Confirming that your consent form is complete
Confirming "patient, procedure and site" with the physician's documentation

The staff will verify who you are, what kind of surgery you are having, and the expected part of the body on which the surgery is being performed, as well as double-checking what you tell them against the documents provided by your doctor's office (for example: X-rays).

Depending on the type of surgery you are having, the person performing your procedure will mark the correct location on your body where the procedure is to be performed.

This is called "site marking" and is a critical step to preventing errors, especially if you are having surgery on one of your arms, legs, hands, fingers, eyes, or ears. For example, if you are having a cataract removed only from your right eye, the surgeon will make a mark somewhere around your right eye with a surgical marking pen or semi-permanent tattoo. This is to ensure the correct eye is the one being operated.

The patient, family member, or significant other will participate in the verification process prior to pre-op medication, sedation and anesthesia.

TIME OUT...Once you are taken to the operating room, a "time out" will be completed by the surgical team before beginning your surgery to assure themselves that they are performing the correct procedure at the correct site and on the correct person.

After Surgery:
In the recovery room, you will be under close observation by the anesthesiologist and the recovery room nurses. We encourage all of our doctors to talk to a family member/friend upon completion of your procedure and it is, therefore, important for this person to remain in the building.

Your surgeon will provide post-operative instructions and the Center will provide a written summary of these instructions.

If you had any anesthesia/pain medication, avoid the following for 24 hours: