Surgery

Your anesthesia care is provided by North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA). Your anesthesiology team will review your plan for anesthesia, discuss side effects you may experience and discuss post-operative care. NAPA has prepared a short video for you, where you may learn more about what to expect when having anesthesia.

Click here to watch NAPA's video.

You may receive a call the day or evening before your surgery to confirm your arrival time. It is important that you arrive on time. Your arrival time is prior to your procedure start time to ensure that you are safely and properly prepared for your procedure. If you think you will be late, please call the pre-op/post-op team at your surgery location. If you need to cancel or have questions, please call your provider’s office.

We recommend that you do not schedule any other appointments on the day of your surgery. We will try to avoid any inconveniences to you and your loved ones, but we do sometimes experience unexpected delays to our operating room schedules. We will keep you informed as changes occur in the event your procedure is delayed. If you have young children, you should make plans for their care on your surgery day, such as having someone pick them up from school.

Call your provider immediately if you notice a change in your health between the time you see your surgeon and the day of your procedure, including fever or flu-like symptoms and skin changes such as rashes, scratches, bruises or sores.

Discuss your medications with your provider or surgery scheduler. You may need to stop taking some medications, such as aspirin, ibuprofen or blood thinners. Diabetic patients should ask their provider for instructions before the day of surgery. You also need to tell your provider about any vitamins and herbal supplements you take as some may interfere with bleeding or healing.

A nurse may call you one to three days before your surgery to go over medications and your health history. We also ask that you bring a detailed list of your medications with you on the day of surgery and during any other appointments. This list should include the name of the medicine, the dose and how often you take it.

To ensure that it is safe for you to have your procedure, your provider may order tests to be done prior to surgery such as blood draws, an EKG or chest X-rays. You can have this testing preformed at a variety of facilities. We will provide you with a full listing of Riverside locations available to you. You should plan to have your testing done one week prior to surgery but no later than 3 days prior to your surgery to allow your provider time to review the results.

You may also be asked to see your primary care provider and/or a specialist prior to your surgery.

Recommendations may vary by surgery type so please discuss your pre-op instructions for eating and drinking with your health care provider. These restrictions can apply to chewing gum, chewing tobacco, candy, mints and water, even when brushing your teeth.

If you are taking medications regularly for heart and lung conditions (such as angina, chest pain, high blood pressure or asthma) or for seizures (such as epilepsy control), we recommend that you continue to take your medications on your usual schedule, including the day of your surgery. These medications may be taken with a small sip of water. If your provider gives you different instructions, please follow those instructions. If you have diabetes, please refer to the instructions given by your surgeon for day before and day of surgery.

Do not consume alcoholic beverages and avoid smoking before or after your surgery.

Download your Surgery Checklist with important reminders so you are prepared and ready the day of your surgery.

You must have a responsible adult (18 years of age or older) with you on the day of surgery to remain on site and drive you home after your procedure. We will not allow you to leave a Riverside facility alone. For your safety, do not drive for 24 hours following surgery if you receive general anesthesia or sedation.

If a child under 18 is having surgery, a parent or legal guardian must accompany the child to our facility to sign surgery consent forms and stay on site until the child is discharged.

If your child has a favorite toy, blanket or cup, let them bring it. If your child drinks from a bottle, please bring one bottle of formula and an empty bottle for juice to drink after leaving the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (“recovery room”). Nursing mothers may nurse as usual. Also, remember to bring extra diapers.

Your care team will review your provider’s instructions with you and will provide you with a written or printed copy of these instructions. These instructions will include information about medications, diet, physical activity and your follow up care appointments. Please be certain you understand them prior to discharge.

After surgery, you will remain in the facility until you have adequately recovered from anesthesia, and it is determined that you are ready for discharge. We will offer you beverages and crackers when you are awake and able to tolerate them. A responsible adult will need to transport you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours after your procedure. You may still feel drowsy at the time of discharge and you cannot drive, drink alcoholic beverages or sign legal documents for 24 hours after discharge.

A member of your care team will notify your loved ones when you arrive in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit and when you receive a room assignment. If loved ones are unable to be at the hospital, they may call your surgery location for status reports. To protect your privacy, please provide your loved ones with a “secret password” of your choosing. We will ask callers for the password before we release any information about your status.

If you experience difficulties or complications once you have been discharged, please contact your surgeon. If you cannot reach your surgeon at their office or have any questions, please call the Riverside Operator at 757-594-2000 and ask them to page your surgeon. Riverside Nurse is also available to answer questions at 757-595-6363 or 800-675-6368.

You will receive a post-surgery phone call within 72 hours of your discharge. After a few days, you may also receive a questionnaire from our customer service partner. Please take a few minutes to complete it. This is an important part of your after-care that helps us help you.