Surgery Guide

Thank you for choosing Plymouth Orthopedic Surgery Center! We are happy to provide you with an exceptional surgical experience! This webpage will help guide you through what to expect leading up to and during your visit.

Before Your Surgery

• You must arrange for a responsible adult (18 years or older) to drive you home.
• You must arrange to have a responsible adult (18 years or older) to stay with you for 24 hours following surgery.
• A pre-operative history and physical must be performed by your primary care physician within 30 days of your surgery. Please complete this at least 1 week prior to your surgery.

*These requirements may differ if your procedure is being performed under local anesthetic versus general anesthesia.

Pre-Op Phone Call

You will receive a phone call to discuss all of your pre-operative instructions. This call will include:

• The time you need to arrive at the surgery center.
• When to stop eating and drinking.
• A reminder to remove all jewelry (required if on the operative extremity), leave all valuables at home and bring any clinic-issued durable medical equipment such as a boot or immobilizer.

This is not an all-inclusive list so please be available for our call 1-2 business days prior to your procedure. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, we are here for you!

Please complete the Pre-Operative Assessment at least 3 days prior to your surgery to allow time for a nurse to review. This will be sent to you via text message and/or email.

Arrive for Surgery

Take the elevator to the 3^rd floor and check in at the front desk with your ride/responsible adult.

Bring your insurance card and ID.

If unable to fill out the Pre-Operative Assessment ahead of time, please bring a list of any medications including names and dosages.

Wear comfortable loose-fitting clothing to allow for dressings and/or splints (no jeans, please).

Pre-Op

*You’ll note many of these tasks are repeated by different members of your care team. This is to ensure we all have the same, comprehensive information to keep you safe and provide the best outcome possible.

When your check-in is complete, a pre-op nurse will bring you back to a pre-op room where they will:

• Confirm your name, birthdate, and your procedure with you.
• Verify you have not had anything to eat or drink.
• Review your medications and allergies.
• Review your health history.
• Verify you have a safe ride home and someone to take care of you for 24 hours while you recover.
• Give you a gown and socks to wear and a warm blanket.
• Ask you to mark your surgical site.
• Start an IV (if you are receiving anesthesia).
• Remove any dentures, hearing aids or jewelry.
• Perform surgical site hair clipping if necessary (please do not shave your surgical site at home).
• Complete a pre-surgical scrub at your surgical site.
• Answer any questions you may have.

In Pre-op, you will meet your Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, Nurse Anesthetist and Operating Room Nurse, who will perform a series of tasks for your safety.

Your Surgeon will:

• Answer all of your questions. Due to subsequent patients and side effects of the anesthesia, this may be the only time you see your Surgeon during your stay so be sure to ask all of your questions!
• Discuss risks, benefits, options, and aftercare instructions.
• Mark your surgical site.
• Provide prescriptions for pain and other medications if needed, to be filled at a pharmacy of your choice. Please ensure you discuss your preferred pharmacy location with your Surgeon and select a location that will be open after you are discharged from the surgery center.

Your Anesthesiologist will:

• Confirm the procedure with you.
• Discuss your options for anesthesia.
• Perform a health and anesthesia history review.
• Assess the need for and perform a nerve block, if necessary. If indicated, they will review the risks and benefits.
• Answer all of your questions.

Your Nurse Anesthetist and Operating Room Nurse will:

• Ask you to confirm your name, date of birth and procedure to be performed.
• Confirm your allergies and any metal in or on your body.
• Bring you back to the Operating Room.

Surgery

At this stage, all safety checks have been completed and the operating suite is ready for you! Your OR nurse and the nurse anesthetist will bring you back to the operating room. Once in the room, they will assist you with positioning and attach several monitors.

Your family is welcome to wait in the waiting area. We ask if they leave the facility, they return once they receive text or phone call notification that your surgery is nearing completion. If the patient is under 18, a parent or guardian will need to remain on the premises.

Once surgery is complete, the Surgeon will discuss findings with your family member/responsible adult. If your family member is not present or misses the phone call, they miss the opportunity to speak with the Surgeon.

After Surgery

Recovery Room

After your surgery is complete, you will be moved to the recovery room where you will be monitored until you are ready to go home. Here are a few details about what you can expect in recovery:

• Oxygen may be applied by facemask or nasal cannula.
• Vital signs are monitored closely.
• You will be assessed for nausea, pain, circulation, and/or bleeding.
• Once you are awake, you will be offered something to drink and a small snack.
• Braces, boots, or a sling may be applied.
• The RN will review discharge instructions with you and your responsible adult.
• Once you have met certain criteria, such as you are able to tolerate liquids, pain is controlled, vital signs are stable, etc., your IV will be removed and you will be able to get dressed.
• You will be brought down to the lobby in a wheelchair and assisted to your vehicle.

Although times may vary, most patients are discharged within 60-75 minutes after surgery.

Sometimes patients and family are so focused on their surgery that they forget to ask questions about their recovery.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• It t is normal to feel discomfort and pain in the area of your surgery.
• You may also experience some drowsiness or dizziness, depending on the type of anesthesia and/or medications you received.
• We make copies of the discharge instructions which were reviewed with you and send you home with the original.

Leaving the Center and After Your Procedure

Prepare to stop at a pharmacy on your drive home to pick up your prescriptions if one was written for you.

A nurse from Plymouth Orthopedic Center will call you the next business day to check-in on your recovery and progress.

If you have questions after discharge, please call your Surgeon’s office using the phone number listed on their information card in your discharge folder. This number will also roll over to an after-hours line, if outside of business hours.

In the event of a medical emergency, please call 911.