Preoperative checklist
- Tell your health care provider if you have a cold, sore throat, fever or other illness before your surgery date.
- Plan to bring your glasses, hearing aids, prostheses or other assistive devices with you. These devices will be given to your companion/health advisor when you go into surgery.
- The day before your procedure, your health care consultant will contact you to confirm your arrival time at the hospital. Your arrival time will be individualized based on your specific surgical preparation needs.
Medicines and supplements
- Blood thinners Medicines such as Coumadin, heparin, aspirin, plavix, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other blood thinners affect the body’s blood clotting capacity. These medications are usually stopped before surgery. Please contact your doctor for the date of discontinuation of these medications.
- Inhalers and eye drops: You can use your inhaler and eye drops on the morning of surgery. Please bring them with you on the day of surgery.
- Vitamins and supplements: Because of interactions with anesthesia, the anesthesiologist asks you to STOP all herbs, supplements and vitamins seven days before your surgery.
- Weight loss medications: You should stop all weight loss medications such as Phentermine at least 2 weeks before surgery.
Diabetics
- At Well Off Grace, we have a special diabetic protocol. We will review the protocol before your procedure and give you instructions for your diabetic medications.
- Inform your surgeon that you have diabetes.
- Poor blood sugar control can affect a successful surgical outcome and may lead to your surgery being delayed or canceled.
Prevention of surgical infections
Well Off Grace is committed to working with our patients to prevent infection. During your surgery, we will provide antibiotics (medicines that prevent infections) and clean your skin with special products that help kill germs. We will monitor body temperature, blood sugar and other vital signs. Your skin helps protect you against infection. When surgery causes tears in your skin, there is a risk of post-operative infections. These infections are called surgical site infections (SSIs) because they occur in the part of the body where the surgery took place. When you have surgery, there is a 1 to 3% chance of developing a surgical site infection.
You can help prevent infections
Do not take a shower:
- Please follow your surgeon’s specific shower instructions.
Hand washing
- This is the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of surgical site infection.
- Wash your hands with soap and water. If they are not visibly soiled, you can use hand sanitizer.
- Get others around you to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer.
- Ask your health care providers if they wash their hands.
Don’t shave:
- Razors can cause small tears in the skin, creating an opening for infection.
- Do not shave near your surgical area with a razor for 3 days before surgery.
- Do not shave your body below the chin on the morning of surgery. Cleansing wipes are used to reduce skin bacteria before surgery and may cause irritation if you have recently shaved.
Care of the surgical site
- Ask family and friends visiting you not to touch the operation wound or bandages. Tell them to clean their hands thoroughly before and after visiting you.
- If you continue to take antibiotics for more than 24 hours after your surgery, ask your doctor to explain why you continue to take antibiotics.
- Learn about the care of your wound and find out who to contact if you have questions or problems before you leave the hospital.
- Always clean your hands before and after caring for your wound at home.
- Call your doctor immediately if you have any signs of infection, such as redness or increased pain at the surgery site, drainage, body aches or fever.
- Remember, if you do not see your visitors or members of your healthcare team cleaning their hands, please ask them to do so!
Provide a complete health history
- Some diseases increase the risk of infection and your doctor will create a plan for prevention.
Stop smoking
- Patients who smoke are more likely to get infections.
The day before the surgery
- Drink plenty of fluids the day before your surgery, unless you have a fluid restriction.
- Do not drink alcohol or smoke for 24 hours before your procedure.
- Shower the night before and the morning of surgery to prevent infection. If your surgeon has not given specific bathing instructions, please follow the instructions provided by the Preoperative Testing Department.
- Maintain thorough oral hygiene by brushing teeth with a new toothbrush (if possible).
- Remove all jewelry, make-up and body piercings before coming to the hospital and leave all valuables at home.
Day of surgery
- Do not eat or drink anything after midnight on the day of surgery unless otherwise instructed by your doctor or health advisor. This includes hard candy, gum or mints. Pediatric patients will be given special instructions according to anesthesia guidelines.
- Brush your teeth, but please rinse and spit out the water, do not swallow.
- Do not bring any valuables with you to the hospital.
- Bring all valid insurance cards and your passport.
- Do not wear contact lenses. If you wear glasses, remember to bring a case to store them during surgery.
Wear loose-fitting clothes. - Bring reading materials or music to help pass the time.
- Wi-Fi is available in the hospital. Be sure to give your personal belongings to your companion to keep during surgery.
- If you are staying overnight, you can bring a bag with items you may need for discharge, such as toiletries, slippers, a bathrobe and a change of clothes. Do not bring large bags. Your escort will be given your belongings when you leave the pre-operative area.