Same-Day Surgery

Same-Day Surgery in the Northern Suburbs

As you schedule and prepare for your surgery, your physician and nurse will supply you with specific, detailed information to help you prepare for the procedure. Please review the following to prepare for your same-day surgery.

• Driver: You will need a driver on the day of surgery for the trip home and you should not stay alone after surgery. Transportation and personal arrangements should be made in advance, and the driver's name with contact number or location should be given to the admitting nurse for later use.
• Arrival: Upon arrival, your driver can either park in the visitor parking lot or use our valet service. Enter through the main hospital entrance.
• Checking in: The receptionist in the visitor lobby will direct you to the Universal Care Center, where you will be assigned to your room. The Universal Care Center nurses will prepare you for your surgery, place your intravenous line and explain discharge procedures to you.

Recovery after surgery

If needed, you will be observed in our Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Your anesthesiologist will bring you to the PACU where a perianesthesia nurse will monitor you as the anesthetic wears off. Following an evaluation, you will be returned to the Universal Care Center to be discharged.

Discharge

When you are discharged, you will be given instructions for your care at home. These instructions include the activities or foods you should avoid. Home readiness is the goal of Day Surgery—you are being discharged so you can go home to rest and fully recuperate.

After your discharge, call your physician if:

• You have a fever over 101°
• You experience any unusual incisional bleeding or if your bandages become saturated with blood
• Your pain medication is not working
• You experience any side effects from your medication, such as itching, swelling, rash, nausea or vomiting
• You can't empty your bladder and become uncomfortable
• You have any questions