Ambulatory Surgery Center
Your Surgical Experience
Before Your Day of Surgery
At the time your surgery is scheduled by the surgeon’s office staff, you may be asked to complete a brief form called the Pre-Anesthesia Assessment. Or, if you have access to our website, please go online as soon as possible and complete this same form to submit electronically. This information will be reviewed by the nurses at the surgery center and by an Anesthesiologist. Prior to your day of surgery, you will receive a call from one of our nurses to review your history and any medications you are taking, and to go over pre-operative instructions.
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Federal law requires that we ask if you have executed an Advance Directive. This is a document written in advance which states your choices about medical treatment or names someone to make choices about medical treatment for you, if you become unable to make decisions. Please bring a copy of your Advance Directive with you to the surgery center.
All precautions are taken to ensure an uneventful surgical experience. Should an emergency situation occur during your treatment, however, we will initiate resuscitative or stabilizing measures before transferring you to a hospital for admission. After the initial emergency has passed, if necessary, your Advance Directive will be consulted and carried out if indicated.
It is not required that you have an Advance Directive. However, if you do not have one and would like to execute an Advance Directive, copies of the Georgia forms are available at the surgery center. Or, you may go online at http://www.aging.dhr.georgia.gov and select “Publications”.
Upon Arrival For Your Surgery
On the day of your surgery, our entire staff will be ready for your arrival and make every effort to help you feel less anxious throughout your experience in our center.
Please arrive at the surgery center at your designated time so that you have enough time for paperwork and signatures and time to meet and ask questions of the anesthesia staff.
Remember to have an escort accompany you on the day of surgery for the drive home and to arrange for someone to be with you for the first 24 hours.
You are encouraged to leave all of your valuables at home.
Lastly, it is important that you not eat or drink as per your pre-operative instructions. Any medications you have been instructed to take that day should be taken with a small sip of water.
Pre-Operative Area
Shortly after your arrival, you will be brought back into the pre-op area. Here the nurse will interview you and provide some education on pain assessment and pain management and also will begin your IV. Be sure to report to the nurse any recent illness or unusual symptoms you may be experiencing. After you are settled in pre-op and your IV has been started, if you would like, your companion may keep you company until you leave for the operating room.
In the pre-op area, you and the anesthesiologist will discuss the types of anesthesia, determine the best method for you, and have you sign the Anesthesia Consent. Again, it is important to share any information about your history with anesthesia so that any potential risks may be identified.
Then, just before you head back to the operating room, your surgeon will visit with you to answer questions, review the procedure with you, and mark the site of your procedure.
Operating Room
The anesthesiologist and your OR nurse will accompany you through the automatic doors into our Operating Room. You will notice that all of the staff in this room wear masks, gowns, head covers and gloves. . . . . . this is a sterile environment where the equipment and instruments have been carefully prepared for your surgical procedure. The lights will be bright and the room will be chilly but our warmed blankets will help you relax.
Post-Operative Area
You will be closely monitored by the nursing staff in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) as you begin to recover from your anesthesia. Your pain will be managed by the nursing staff per instructions from your surgeon and anesthesiologist.
The length of your stay in PACU will depend upon the type of anesthesia you received and the course of your recovery. When you are fully responsive and stable, your companion may join you in the PACU area.
Prior to your discharge from the center, the nursing staff will ensure that you are comfortable, able to take fluids, and can sit up on the bedside without feeling dizzy.
Discharge
When you are ready to leave, the PACU nurse will review instructions for postoperative care with you and your caregiver. You will be given a copy of these instructions as well as any prescriptions which may have been written for you by your surgeon. Additional educational information specific to your procedure may be available by clicking on Patient Education.
You will be discharged via a wheelchair from the surgery center, accompanied by a member of our staff.
When you are ready to leave, the PACU nurse will review instructions for postoperative care with you and your caregiver. You will be given a copy of these instructions as well as any prescriptions which may have been written for you by your surgeon.
Next Day
On the day following your surgery, you will receive a phone call from our nursing staff to check on your status since discharge.
Your Comments
We need your feedback on our performance for our continuous improvement efforts! You may receive an online survey following your surgery center experience. Please take the time to complete this survey online and submit your responses. Since the survey is administered by a third party, your ratings will be anonymous. We appreciate your comments and suggestions for improvement in our services!