Home | Preparing for Surgery | Post Anesthesia Care

Once it has been determined that you will need to have surgery, your Physician’s office will refer you to VVMC’s Pre Surgical Planning Department. At this point, it will then be determined if you are a candidate for a telephone assessment or if you are needed to be present in the office for your appointment. This department is located on the first floor at the rear of the elevators (1R) the first door on your left down the hallway.

PreSurgical Planning

The Day of Your Pre Surgical Planning Appointment:

A VVMC Registered Nurse will conduct a health history assessment to ensure diagnostic needs are met, lab work is complete & an Anesthesiologist has been consulted if necessary. To ensure the Pre Surgical Planning Nurse gathers all the correct information about your health history, be sure to bring the following information:

• A complete of all the medications you are currently taking
• A complete list of past surgeries and/or major illnesses
• Your medical insurance card
• If you have a Living Will or Advanced Directive, please bring copies of these documents

The Night Before Your Surgery

• Stop eating solid food at midnight before surgery
• No gum or candy after midnight
• A maximum of 16 ounces of water may be consumed  up to four hours before your arrival time. more fluids after that time. (example;  if your scheduled surgery time is 10am, you must stop drinking liquids at 6am.)
• You may take medications with a sip of water
• It is recommended that patients quit smoking 4-6 weeks prior to any elective surgery and smokers refrain from smoking 24 hours prior to surgery.
• No Chewing gum, mints, or other hard candies for 8 hours before surgery.
• Avoid alcohol or limit alcohol to not more than 1-2 drinks the night before surgery.
• Please do not shave your surgical site. Report nay cuts or abrasions around the surgical site to your PreOp Nurse or Physician.
• Please notify your Physician of any recent colds or flu symptoms immediately.

The Morning of Surgery

• Shower the morning of your surgery before you leave home for the hospital.
• Do not wear makeup, jewelry, perfume. Nail polish is permitted if the nails are at least 6 inches from the surgical site.
• If you wear contact lenses, dentures, or hearing aids, please remember to bring your cases and solutions for storage during your surgery.
• If you are scheduled for lower extremity orthopedic surgery and may have crutches, please bring them with you to PreOp.
• Please leave all valuables at home or check them in at Admissions with Security to placement into the hospital safe.
• If you are planning to go home the Day of Surgery, we do request that you bring some form of Payment (Cash, credit card, etc) to purchase your discharge prescriptions.
• Please limit luggage brought to the hospital during your brief hospitalization due to our limited storage space.

PreOp

Arriving at the Hospital for Surgery

• When you arrive at the hospital, register at Admissions, located off the main hospital lobby. Here you will receive an identification bracelet which will be worn until you are discharged from the hospital.
• After Admissions you will be directed to the Preoperative Department on the 3rd floor where the PreOp Registered Nurses will get you ready for Surgery.
• The Nurse will review your Medical & Surgical history, medications, allergies, etc.
• Immediately before your Surgery you will meet with your Anesthesiologist to discuss your Anesthesia options. We highly encourage you to ask any questions about your care or surgery throughout your Perioperative stay.
• All Outpatient surgery patients MUST have a responsible adult available to drive you home from the hospital.
• Inpatients are asked to have their transportation home arrive at the hospital no later than 11AM the day of discharge.

Prescriptions and Nonprescriptive Medications

• Your regular medications will be ordered by your physician while you are a patient here.  It is very important that your surgeon and nurses know the exact name and spelling, dose, and frequency of all medicals your are currently taking.   Please have a written record of your medications with you at the hospital.
•  Your surgeon and/or preadmission nurse will give you instructions on which medications to take and which medications to avoid prior to the day of a scheduled procedure.