PREPARING FOR SURGERY
If surgery is required, you will be provided with a pre-operative pack that will contain questionnaires and instructions for the day of surgery. If further pre-operative checks are needed, the hospital will contact you for review in a pre-operative clinic. Occasionally further tests by the anaesthetist or other specialist doctors, such as cardiologists, may also be required.
Prior to surgery you will be required to complete an anaesthetic pre-operative health questionnaire. You can click the link to fill out the questionnaire.
Patient registration for the hospitals are required to completed prior to admission. Click the links below for Allevia Ascot and Rodney Surgical Centre to complete the forms. If you are having surgery at a Southern Cross hospital, they will send you an email link to complete the forms.
Getting to the hospital
You should arrange to be taken to hospital by a relative, friend or taxi. You should not drive yourself unless you have arranged someone to drive you and your car home after surgery. You will not be allowed to drive after your anaesthetic while you have strong pain killers in your system. You will need a relative or friend to drive you home after surgery.
Infections / Illness
If you have a fever or are unwell prior to surgery, it is recommended to postpone your surgery. Please contact our office if you feel you may not be fit for surgery.
Jewellery and Rings
Please do not bring items of high value such as jewellery to hospital. Please ensure rings and jewellery are removed from the arm being operated on. If these can not be removed (e.g. wedding bands that have been on for many years) we may have to cut them off. We cannot procede with surgery without removing these as the limb will swell after surgery and can cause restriction of the blood supply to the hand or fingers.
Fasting
Please ensure you are fasting for surgery. You must not eat for at least 6 hours prior to surgery.
If your surgery is in the morning, please refrain from eating after 0200.
If your surgery is in the afternoon, please have an early, light breakfast and fast from 0600. An example of a light breakfast would be some toast and tea or coffee. You should not have any fried or fatty foods for this meal.
The timing of your surgery and time to stop eating will be conveyed to you in the week leading up to your surgery.
Chewing gum should also be avoided.
Medications
In general, you should take your usual morning medications with some water, ideally two hours or more prior to surgery.
Blood thinners - if you are taking blood thinners these will generally need to stopped well in advance of surgery. Please inform our office which blood thinner you are taking and why. Blood thinners can protect you from medical problems such as heart attacks and stroke, but also increase your bleeding risk at and after surgery. Bleeding can cause increased pain, large haematomas, oozey wounds and is a risk for infection. The timing of stopping and starting blood thinners is a balance of risk.
ACE inhibitors - these medications are used to treat high blood pressure. These should be stopped on the day of surgery.
Beta Blockers - these medications are used to treat high blood pressure and heart rate issues. You should continue to take this medication on the day of surgery unless told otherwise.
Diabetic medication - These medications may be withheld in line with your fasting times, particularly oral diabetic agents. If you are on insulin your anaesthetist may get you to alter your dose for this on the day of surgery. They will advise you as necessary