PRE-OPERATIVE INSTRUCTIONS
- Have nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before your surgery except approved meds, these may be taken with a small sip of water. This even applies to patients scheduled for surgery in the afternoon due to the possibility of cancellations and the need to move your surgical start time to earlier in the day.
- Wear loose fitting clothes.
- Shoulder patients should wear a button down shirt rather than an over-the-head shirt as it is easier to put on over the dressing.
- Arrange for a ride home and twenty four hours of supervision if you are an outpatient.
- If you are staying for a night (in the hospital or surgicenter) please bring a list of medications you are currently taking and give it to the hospital staff. Be sure to include the name, strength, and how often you take the medications. Additionally bring any medication that you normally take on a daily basis. Please communicate to your doctor and the nursing staff any allergies you might have.
- Leave jewelry, credit cards, keys, checkbooks, and items of personal value at home.