Pre-Admission Visit

Once your surgery has been scheduled, the hospital will contact you to setup a pre-admission screening appointment.  This visit will be schedule as many as four weeks before your surgery.  This is a separate appointment from your visit with your surgeon or PCP.  The purpose of this visit it to make sure you are medically optimized for your surgery under general anesthesia.  

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On the day of your pre-admission visit, be sure to bring the following information:

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• Questions you have about your surgery

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• A list of your allergies

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• A list of medications and dosages you take on a regular basis, including vitamins, herbs and any other over-the-counter medications

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• Results of current tests including chest x-ray, blood work, EKG or Cardiac Clearance letter from any other hospital

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• Names, addresses, phone numbers of all of your doctors, including specialists

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• Any previous problems or reactions to anesthesia

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The nurse will:

• Confirm your surgical procedure

• Conduct a nursing assessment, which includes past medical conditions, previous hospitalizations and a complete list of medications including prescriptions, over-the-counter and any dietary supplements

• Confirm any allergies you have to drugs, food or latex

• Review arrival time for the day of surgery

You will also have any testing your physician has ordered.  This may include lab tests, an EKG and a chest x-ray.

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Anesthesia

A member of the Anesthesia Department is available to speak with you before surgery and let you know if any medications need to be stopped before surgery 

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Informed Consent 

Before surgery you will be asked to sign consent forms.  You have the right to understand your health problem and treatment options in words you can understand.  Your doctor should also tell you about the risks and benefits of each treatment.  Please feel free to ask questions.

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Preparing Yourself Physically

Here are some tips that will help you focus on a smooth recovery.

• Stay as active as possible.

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• It is important to share with staff any pain medication you are currently taking.  This will better allow us to plan for your comfort after surgery.

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• Minimize the use of pain medications as much as possible prior to surgery to avoid medication tolerance which will make your pain difficult to control after surgery.

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• Continue your normal activity and exercise program as approved by your physician.

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• Stop smoking.  If you smoke, try to stop or cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke every day.  Smoking can cause complications with the anesthesia you receive for your surgery.  Smoking also inhibits wound healing and bone healing.  There is a fifty percent chance your fusion will not heal if you continue to smoke.  If your fusion doesn't heal you will continue to have pain and possible revision surgery.  Smoking decreases blood flow to healing tissues by twenty-five percent and accelerates arthritic changes.  People who smoke have more back and neck pain than non-smokers.  Stopping even for a short time can be helpful.  For help, you may contact the Quit Smoking Programs at: https://smokefree.gov/

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