First you will check in and be asked simple demographic questions (ie. Name, age, etc.). Please have your ID and insurance card available.
You will then be taken to the “Holding Area” by a staff member of the surgical facility. It is here, where the staff will prepare you for surgery.
A nurse will greet you and ask some medical questions, put in an IV (intravenous access), give you IV fluids (Saline) and any medications that the anesthesiologist or I have requested.
Members of the anesthesia team will then speak with you. They will discuss what you should expect before, during and after surgery. They will also discuss the various types of anesthesia that they recommend.
For some procedures, you may be able to get a regional “block”. This is numbing medication administered by a needle that is positioned with the assistance of ultrasound imaging. If you are a candidate for this, the anesthesiologist will discuss this in detail with you.
I will meet you in the holding area. We will review my postoperative instructions and what you can expect after surgery. You will have an opportunity to ask any questions that you may still have.
You will then be taken to the OR
You will be asked to move to an operative bed where the anesthesiologist will place various painless monitors on you.
If General Anesthesia is to be used, it will then be administered by the anesthesia team.
The surgery will be performed and afterwards you will then be taken to the first “Recovery”. Here you will continue to be monitored and you will have a chance to rest and sleep.
Once you wake up, you will be brought to the second “Recovery” area where you will be given something light to eat and drink and instructions will be provided to whomever is going to take you home.
Once home, you should expect to rest the remainder of the day. You should have received verbal or written instructions from me which lists my recommendations for elevation, ice, medication and activity modification.
If after surgery, you have any concerns or questions, please call our office main number, 703-435-6604 or contact my assistant.
