Outpatient or Same Day Surgery

Outpatient surgery is surgery performed in which the patient is expected to go home the same day as the surgery. Occasionally, patients who are scheduled for outpatient surgery are unable to go home the same day as their surgery. In this case, hospital admission can be arranged.

Same day surgery is surgery scheduled in which the patient is admitted to the hospital (through day-op surgery) on the day of their surgery and plans are made for them to stay in the hospital for various lengths of time afterwards.

If you have been scheduled for outpatient or same day surgery, several things must be accomplished prior to the day of surgery:

• You must have a "work-up." This may be done on the same day that you are scheduled for surgery, but is usually done at a later date, shortly before your surgery actually occurs. It is required that this work-up be done within thirty days prior to your surgery, but cannot be done on the same day as your surgery. The work-up will include a brief history and physical examination carried out in the Orthopaedic Outpatient Clinic. At that time, your doctors will assess your general health and determine if any laboratory tests, etc., need to be done prior to your surgical procedure (to be certain that you are in sufficiently good health to undergo the procedure).

• During the clinic visit for your work-up, the nurse will check your vital signs and may obtain a urine specimen for the laboratory.

• You may be sent to the blood drawing laboratory to obtain blood specimens and/or to x-ray to obtain a chest x-ray and/or to EKG to obtain an electrical tracing of your heart.

• You must also go to Day-Op Surgery (either in the main hospital or in the Ambulatory Care Center) where you will be evaluated by the Anesthesiology personnel. At that time, you will be given instructions on when to come for your surgery and how to prepare yourself. It is most important that you not eat or drink anything after midnight the day before your surgery (exceptions may be made in children, who may be instructed to take fluids in the morning).

If you have not had steps 1 and 4, or been scheduled for them, please call the clinic at (919) 966-1488.

• Bring a list of your medications and allergies with you on the day of your work-up.
• If you have had any recent laboratory tests, chest x-rays, or EKGs elsewhere, bring the results. This may save you having them repeated during your work-up here.
• Do not urinate immediately prior to your visit so that you will be able to give a urine specimen.

Report at the scheduled time to the clinic, either in the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) or in the main hospital Orthopaedic Clinic. This may or may not be the same location (ACC or main hospital) as your surgery. Expect to spend several hours here completing your preoperative work-up. After your history and physical is completed, and your vital signs obtained in the Orthopaedic Clinic, you may need to go to:

(a) the blood drawing lab: yes ___ no ___
(b) x-ray: yes ___ no ___
(c) EKG: yes ___ no ___

You must go to the Day-Op area and be evaluated by the anesthesiologists.

Do not leave without your antibacterial soap, which should be given to you by the nurses in the clinic.

You will bleed less at surgery if you stop taking anti-inflammatory medications (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Motrin, Nuprin, Advil, Indomethacin, Indocin, Naproxen, Naprosyn, Clinoril, Dolobid, Feldene, Relafen, ANSAID) at least a week before surgery. If you must take these medications, you may continue to do so, as the increase in bleeding is not severe.

If you normally shave in the area of the surgery, please stop shaving the area one week (or more) prior to surgery. Germs grow in the small razor nicks from shaving and will increase the infection rate.

Please call us if you have any scabs, pimples, or other skin infections in the area of your surgery.

Take a shower and wash the surgical area with the special antibacterial soap you were given in the clinic.

Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.

Present yourself at the scheduled time (someone may call you and change this time the night before your surgery) either to Day-Op in the ACC or to Day-Op in the main hospital.

For questions or comments,
please contact
msmiller@med.unc.edu
October 2004