Preoperative Preparation

You may visit your surgeon as many times as you wish, to have all of your questions answered. At your final preoperative visit, your final questions will be answered and you will confirm that you understood the procedure to be performed, that this material has been explained to you, that you have read and understood these information sheets, and that you accept the risks by signing the informed consent forms. You will be given prescriptions for surgical soap that will be used before surgery, as well as for pain pills and antibiotics, along with instructions for their use. Certain laboratory tests will also be required within two weeks of surgery. If you are over the age of 50, you will have to obtain a cardiogram. You may have blood drawn by our office nurse during your final preoperative visit, or, if you prefer, at your family doctor’s office or any state licensed laboratory (i.e. Kaiser Hospital, etc.). All patients will be asked to stop smoking at least a month prior to surgery in an effort to maximize your body’s ability to heal the incisions following the operation.

It will be necessary to scrub the surgical sites for ten minutes the evening prior to surgery and a final time the morning of surgery before leaving home. Washing the surgical site these two times with Hibiclens soap will lower the possibility of an infection occurring after surgery.

As with all other elective procedures, the patient should avoid Ibuprofen (Advil), all aspirin products and excessive quantities of Vitamin E (the small amount contained in most multivitamin preparations is not harmful) for two weeks before surgery, as these inhibit the clotting mechanism and increase your chances of unnecessary operative bleeding. A separate list of other medications, which can potentially affect clotting capabilities, will be discussed along with your preoperative instructions.

Ordinarily, your anesthesiologist will call you the night before surgery to discuss the anesthetic care plan with you. But if you miss the call or your anesthesiologist does not call you, do not worry as you will be able to discuss your anesthesia and have all your questions answered in the morning, at the Surgery Center, prior to your procedure. You must make arrangements to have someone drive you to and from the Surgery Center and stay with you at home for the first two or three days afterwards.