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Day of Procedure or Surgery
Your Procedure or Surgery Journey Continued
Upon waking up
- If instructed, repeat the Baptist Health showering instructions.
- You may brush your teeth, but do not swallow the water.
- Some medications are permitted to be taken the morning of your procedure or surgery with a small sip of water.
- If you are an ERAS patient and have been provided with a carbohydrate drink, drink one bottle two hours prior to the procedure or surgery. If you are diabetic, please follow your provider’s instructions.
What to wear
- Do not bring or wear any valuables, including jewelry.
- Body piercings must be removed in order to prevent infection risk.
- You may wear your glasses, dentures and hearing aid, which will be removed before the procedure or surgery.
- Do not wear any makeup, deodorant, perfumes, lotions or contact lenses.
- Wear clean loose clothing that will be comfortable and easy to put back on after your procedure or surgery, including low-heeled shoes with nonslip soles.
What to bring
- A list of all medications you are currently taking
- Your insurance card, a valid photo ID and a form of payment
- Copy of advance directive or living will if not already on file at the hospital
- Any forms or imaging that your doctor has given you to bring the day of the procedure or surgery
- Case or container for your glasses, dentures and hearing aids
- Existing implant card(s)
- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine and inhalers if instructed to bring to the facility the day of the procedure or surgery (items needed if staying overnight)
- Any durable medical equipment (DME), such as walker, crutches, etc., as instructed by your physician
- A designated responsible adult to drive you home after your procedure or surgery.
We understand the importance of visitors to our patients’ healing. Visitor guidelines may change when new circumstances presented by adverse events such as environment or pandemic occur.
Please refer to the visitor guidelines page for the most current information on visitor allowance.
Upon Arrival
- Please plan to arrive at your confirmed time, which is usually two hours prior to your scheduled procedure or surgery.
- Once you arrive, utilize locations and directions to find or reach your designated procedure or surgical facility.
- Upon check-in, designate a caregiver to whom we can relay information during and after your procedure or surgery. This ensures that we are communicating to a family member of your choosing.
- The operating room nurse will update your caregiver during the procedure or surgery, and the recovery room staff will update your caregiver of your arrival in the recovery room.
- If someone will be returning to pick you up, provide the nurse with the contact information so he or she can be kept informed of your condition and time of release.
Preprocedural or Presurgical Area
After checking in, you will be taken to the preoperative area, where you will see your care team. Anesthesia will be managed by your anesthesia provider and the anesthesia care team. A member of your anesthesia care team will meet with you before your procedure or surgery to review your medical and surgical history and explain your anesthesia options. If applicable, your proceduralist or surgeon will mark the spot that is being operated on.At this time, you will be prepared for your procedure or surgery.
- A member of your anesthesia and nursing care team will ask you to confirm your surgical procedure. They will verify your name, date of birth and allergies.
- You may be given intravenous fluids. These are liquids and medications that drip from a bag into your vein.
- It is not unusual to feel cold while in the procedure or surgery area. You will be given a warm blanket to ensure that you maintain a normal body temperature.
- Special compression sleeves or devices will be applied to your legs, if needed. These will help with circulation during the procedure or surgery and prevent blood clots from forming.
- The nursing staff and proceduralist or surgeon will verify your procedure or surgery and answer any questions. They will use a special skin marker to identify the procedural or surgical site when applicable.
- After your nurse has performed the preoperative assessment, your anesthesiologist may give you some medication to help you relax. You may also be given an antibiotic to help prevent infection.
- You will be taken into the procedural or surgical room for your scheduled procedure or surgery.
In the recovery room
After your procedure or surgery, you will be moved to the Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) or recovery room, where nurses will provide the special care that is required for patients who have received anesthesia. You will stay in this unit until you are ready to be discharged home or a decision is made for admission.- Your doctor will provide the PACU or recovery room nurse with a complete report on your procedure or surgery and condition.
- Specially trained nurses will closely monitor you. Due to the effects of anesthesia, you may not remember all of the events of your procedure or surgery or recovery.
- Your length of stay in recovery depends on your progress; you will be monitored until you are awake and stabilized.
- Once anesthesia has worn off, your nurse will encourage you to get up and be active as soon as possible. This will help your muscles stay strong, maintain your cardiovascular health and lead to a faster recovery.
- Depending on your procedure or surgery, your nurse may assist you to sit up to the side of the stretcher and dangle your feet, prior to helping you walk to your bed.
- Your proceduralist or surgeon will speak with your designated caregiver afterward to answer questions he or she may have.
- Specific verbal and written instructions about medications, diet and home care will be given to you and your caregiver prior to discharge.
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