Hospital Care During Surgery

What to expect on the day of your surgery

On the day of your surgery, it is important to be at the medical center at your expected arrival time. Wear comfortable clothes and remember not to eat or drink anything including water, mints or gum after midnight the evening prior to your surgery.

Where to go

• Enter the main medical center entrance parking lot off of East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue.
• Proceed to the main lobby of the medical center tower to check in for your procedure.
• Family members can go to the surgical waiting room. Your family will be informed once surgery is done. If your family cannot stay, please inform the nursing staff

Surgery duration

The surgery is approximately 2 to 2.5 hours long. Some of this time is used by the operating room staff in preparation for surgery.

Anesthesia

Your anesthesiologist will meet with you before surgery. At that time, the anesthesiologist will examine you, discuss your medical history and determine the best plan for your anesthetic care. It is important to tell your anesthesiologist of any prior problems or difficulties you have had with anesthesia, control of pain or previous surgeries.

Recovery

After surgery, you will be moved to the recovery room as you recover from the effects of anesthesia.

You will be hooked up to devices that will monitor your progress and check your vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate and respirations. Then you will be moved to the orthopedic unit, where you will stay for the rest of your recovery in the medical center.