Preparing for Surgery

As you begin preparing for surgery there are several steps you must take to have a successful outcome.

You will begin your journey at your doctor’s office. Here you will receive specific instructions to prepare you for the day of your surgery. Most of these steps will take place as an outpatient at your doctor’s office, a specialist’s office, an outpatient surgery center or even within a hospital. These steps will help determine if there are any risks for you based on your medical condition. As they learn more about your condition your doctor will determine if special precautions must be taken to ensure a good outcome.

The Road to Surgery may be a challenge, but these are the keys steps to take:

• Surgical Consultation: First a decision is made in consultation with your surgeon. Together you will decide the reasons for pursuing surgery and together you will consider the risks.
• Anesthesia Consultation: In some cases a special out-patient Anesthesia Consultation will help determine if you have special conditions that may affect your care or outcome during surgery. Some of the most common conditions to consider are a history of heart disease, lung disease or diabetes.
• Preoperative Evaluation: Almost everyone will also be asked to have some preoperative evaluation in anticipation of your surgery. This can usually be done as an outpatient several days before the procedure.

Deciding on Surgery

A decision is first made to have surgery in conjunction with your surgeon. A patient is seen for a complaint, the surgeon evaluates, the diagnosis is made and a surgery is scheduled. Depending on the urgency of the problem the case is scheduled in one week or up to 2 months. This is often influenced by urgency of the problem, the surgeon’s schedule or that of the operating room.

Anesthesia Consultation

There will be many occasions when either a surgeon or a preoperative evaluation professional will recognize significant issues that may be of concern to the outcome of the procedure. In this case, an Anesthesia Consultation may be requested days before surgery. This will usually take place in the surgicenter or hospital at least a week before surgery.

Preoperative Evaluation

Most patients will be asked to have some preoperative testing before surgery. These tests are meant to screen the patient for any conditions that may affect the preoperative risks. This has helped improve outcomes and decreased the risk of surgery significantly.

It is important you take the time to discuss the rationale for the surgery with your doctor and take the opportunity to have the evaluations and testing necessary to make your procedure safer. Take the time to ask your surgeon or healthcare provider for clarification on any questions you might have.