Preparing for Surgery
Outpatient Surgery Center
Surgery Centers are facilities where surgeries that do not require a hospital admission are performed. They provide a cost-effective and convenient environment that is less stressful than the large hospital environment. At Seattle Orthopedic Center, you and your surgeon have the convenience of all your orthopedic services provided within one facility to assure optimal coordination of your care.
Time of Surgery
Seattle Orthopedic Center staff will call you two days before your surgery. Allow 15 minutes or more for this pre-operative phone call. During the call you will be given pre-op instructions and go through a health interview with the nurse. Regular medications will be discussed during this call. This is also when you will receive the time to be at the Surgery Center. If you have not received a call from the staff by 12:00pm the day prior to your surgery, please telephone (206) 633-8181 and ask about your surgery.
Pre-Op Instructions
The patient will be instructed not to take anything by mouth (food, gum, candy, cigarettes, vape, etc.) after midnight prior to the day of surgery. Exceptions to this include medication taken by the patient deemed appropriate to take with a sip of water the morning of surgery. All diabetic patients will be counseled on an individual basis according to needs and the time of surgery.
Generally, five days prior to surgery, patients are requested to stop taking Warfarin (Coumadin), Clopidogril (Plavix), Ticlopidine (Ticlid), Pentoxifylline (Trental). Each case may be slightly different, so please contact your prescribing physician to discuss when it is appropriate to stop this medication prior to surgery.
Clothing: Patients are advised to wear loose fitting clothing that will accommodate bulky dressings, soft goods and casting materials.
Patients are advised to leave all valuables, including all jewelery at home and to remove any jewelry from the affected limb.
Escort: Patients are instructed to arrange for an adult over the age of 18 to stay during the time of surgery and escort the patient home after the surgery. If having general anesthesia, patients will also need to have an adult stay with them for the first 24 hours after surgery. Failure to make these arrangements may result in cancellation of surgery. Escort’s name and telephone number are obtained at the time of the pre-op interview.
Durable Medical Equipment: (include braces, slings, crutches, post-op shoes, Ice Man units, etc.): The patient is instructed to bring any of these items given at the pre-operative visit for application following surgery in the ASC. If not given before surgery, these will be dispensed by ASC personnel post-operatively and appropriate forms will be filled out.
Arrival Time: Patients will be instructed as to what time to arrive at the ASC prior to surgery on the given date. This will generally be one hour prior to the surgical start time.
