Surgical Care

What to Expect

We want you to be prepared and confident about your procedure at Benefis. Don’t hesitate to ask questions at any time. We’ll always take the time to give you the information you need.

We understand that visitors are an important part of your comfort and healing. Visiting is recommended from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Your visitors may stay overnight on a cot if you are staying in a private room.

Before Surgery

Before your procedure, you will have a chance to visit and learn what to expect during your surgery and recovery. You may have pre-operative testing done. You will also need to:

• Stop taking certain medicines, including herbals and over-the-counter products, a few days before your surgery.
• Don’t eat or drink for a specified time before your surgery.
• Stop smoking a few weeks before your procedure. Smoking delays healing.
• Leave your valuables at home or with the person who accompanies you to the hospital.
• Don’t wear contacts, nail polish, or jewelry to the hospital.
• Arrange for someone to give you a ride home after the procedure is done.

Day of Surgery

On the day of your surgery, you’ll check in at the surgical waiting area at the appointed time. From there you will be called back to AM Admit. This may not happen in the order you arrived, since surgeons’ schedules vary. Your friends and family can accompany you to this area.

In AM Admit, a nurse will sit down with you to ask questions about your health history, including any treatments or medications you are currently using. Your surgeon and anesthesiologist will also visit with you, and your intravenous (IV) fluids will be started.

At the appropriate time, your operating room nurse will transport you to the OR. Your friends and family will go back to the surgery waiting area, where they can follow your progress on our state-of-the-art tracking system. It will show them when your surgery is complete, when you have arrived in the recovery room, and when you have been moved to the post-operative nursing unit.

After Surgery

Our post-operative nursing units are designed to provide safe, high-quality care in a quiet and comfortable environment. We encourage you to participate in your care and in daily activities, such as sitting in a chair instead of the bed, using the toilet, and walking in the hallway as often as the doctor recommends. These activities help you regain strength and confidence and allow your nurses to assess your abilities.

During your stay in the nursing unit, we will:

• Closely monitor your vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and respirations).
• Record what you drink and measure your urine output to monitor hydration.
• Provide pain medications and comfort measures.
• Care for your surgical incision.
• Encourage you to cough and breathe deeply often to clear your lungs.
• Help with incentive spirometry if needed.
• Encourage you to get up and walk four times a day to speed healing.
• Offer you a bath at some time each day.

When your provider has cleared you to leave the unit, a nurse or other staff member will give you discharge instructions for how to care for yourself at home. This can include caring for your incision, activities to do or avoid, and how to take your prescribed medications.