| Good Samaritan Surgery Center |
Pre-surgery Instructions
1. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight before the surgery. This includes water, gum and candy.- Anything in your stomach can cause serious complications when you are under anesthesia. If your doctor has given approval, you can take your usual medication on the morning of surgery with a small sip of water. Children less than two years old can have sugar water up to four hours before surgery.
2. Please plan to arrive one hour before your scheduled surgery time. Also:
- Take a bath or shower the morning of your surgery.
- Brush your teeth, but don’t swallow.
- Wear loose-fitting clothing that will be easy to remove and will fit over bandages and splints.
3. We will call you before your surgery to discuss:
- Insurance coverage: After we get your pre-registration form, we will try to confirm coverage with your insurance company. If they will not cover the entire bill, we will give you an estimate before surgery of the amount for which you will be responsible.
- Medical history: A nurse will call to review your medical history.
- Time of your surgery: On the day before your surgery, we will call you to confirm your arrival time. If you don’t expect to be home, please call the Surgery Center (253-697-5700) after 3pm on the day before surgery.
- Medical condition: If you have any serious medical problems or have recently developed a cold, fever, sore throat or any other condition that you believe might affect your readiness for surgery, please tell us during your telephone interview.
4. Anesthesia will be discussed during your preoperative telephone call and again upon admittance to the center. The type of anesthesia falls into three categories:
- Local anesthesia is an injection of a numbing medicine at the operative site.
- Regional anesthesia is an injection to numb an entire limb or lower body.
- General anesthesia is medication given through an IV catheter to ease you to sleep, after which you are administered anesthesia to keep you asleep. You may also receive medicine through an IV to help you relax during local or regional anesthesia.
5. You will be asked to review and sign a consent form prior to surgery. A parent or legal guardian must be available to sign for a child and remain in the center the entire time the child is in the facility.
6. Are you or could you be pregnant? If so, be sure to call the center and your surgeon.
7. Don’t smoke immediately before or after surgery, because it frequently causes nausea.
8. Please plan to have only one adult visitor per patient and one or both parents for children under 18.
9. It may be necessary to do X-rays, additional lab work or to examine tissue removed during surgery. If so, you may receive a separate statement for professional fees.