Before Surgery

You may receive two calls; one from the business office (regarding insurance) and the other from a pre-op call nurse. The nurse will contact you no later than the day before surgery to answer any questions you may have, confirm the time of your surgery, review your medical history, and give any further instructions needed. In the event a nurse was unable to reach you, please bring any paperwork from your doctor’s office or specialist (i.e-cardiologist).

For your safety, if receiving anesthesia, you MUST make arrangements for a responsible adult to take you home after your surgery and remain with you for 24 hours. You will not be allowed to leave alone or drive yourself home. Your surgery will be cancelled if you do not have a ride home.
A parent or legal guardian must accompany a child scheduled for surgery and plan to stay at the center until the child is discharged.
Please see your family doctor/pediatrician for a history and physical and/or concerning medications. Bring any test results/reports from your physician’s office. If you are under the care of a heart doctor or specialist please be aware that you may be asked to see him or her for clearance.
You may be asked to stop blood thinners such as Coumadin, Plavix, Fragmin, Fish Oil, Vitamin E, and Lovenox or Anti-inflammatories such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil and Naproxen prior to your surgery. Please check with your doctor before stopping these or any other medications.

The Evening Prior to Surgery

The following instructions are very important and MUST be followed. Otherwise, your surgery may be cancelled.
Do not eat anything after 12:00 midnight prior to surgery. You may have clear fluids up to 2 hours prior to surgery.
For your safety, please DO NOT wear any jewelry or piercings on the day of surgery. All body piercing and jewelry must be removed.
Do not smoke and do not drink any alcoholic beverages 24 hours prior to surgery.
For your comfort, please wear simple, loose fitting clothing to the Center. Please do not bring valuables (money, credit cards, checkbooks, etc.). Do not wear any makeup (including eye makeup). Do not wear nail polish on your fingers or toes.If you have dentures, they will be removed before going to the operating room. For your convenience, we will provide you with a container. If you wear contact lenses or glasses, they will be removed, please bring a case for them.
If you have a Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, please bring in a copy.
If you have a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order it will be suspended during your surgery and immediate post-operative recovery period. Since your surgery is considered “elective”, your doctor and staff will do whatever is necessary to save your life in the event of an emergency. If you have concerns regarding this then please contact us prior to the date of your surgery.
As part of our patient safety program to minimize surgical site infections, we ask you to do the following:
- Please notify your surgeon if you develop any of the following between now and the day of your surgery: cough, cold, fever, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, have recently tested positive for COVID, etc.
- DO NOT shave your operative site 96 hours prior to surgery. For face and neck surgery, men may use an electric razor 48 hours prior to surgery.
- Shower the night before surgery with an antibacterial soap.

Important Points to Remember

Bring your insurance card, photo identification, and co-pay (if applicable). We do not have the same computer system as the physician. You will be asked to sign paperwork at registration.
You may wish to put a pillow and a blanket in the automobile for the ride home.
You are instructed to arrive 1 – 2 hours early, to enable the surgical staff to review important information, obtain any information or testing needed prior to surgery, and allow anesthesia to interview and discuss any concerns that you may have.

If you still have questions or concerns, call: Pre Admission Testing (513) 735-1950. Office hours Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. If you leave a recorded message, please include phone number and time that is best to contact you.

* Please note these are generalized instructions for all surgical cases. You will be provided with more specific instructions according to your surgery at the time of discharge.