Your Surgery

Nursing ward: +31 (0)20 238 8301

More information about your surgery? Email: okplanning@acibademimc.com

You will be admitted for an operation soon. On this page you can read general information about the operation and your admission. Whether the information below applies to you depends on your personal situation. Your doctor will discuss this with you.

1. Preoperative screening (POS)
2. Preparation at home
3. An operation during a day admission
4. An operation as a requiring an overnight stay

1. Preoperative screening (POS)

If you have an operation or examination with general anesthesia, you usually visit the anesthesia nurse in advance during the pre-operation screening (POS). You will receive a separate appointment for this.

You will be examined at the POS to get a good picture of your physical condition. This way we ensure that you enter the operation as safely as possible. During the visit the following will be carried out:

• Physical examination by the anesthesiologist
• A heart tracing (ECG) if you are 65 or older
• If necessary, a blood test
• You will also receive information about:
• The anesthetic (anesthesia)
• Advies on fasting before the operation

Your appointment takes approximately 20 minutes. You can then also ask all your questions.

2. Preparation at home

To ensure that the operation runs smoothly, you already start preparations for the operation at home. The anesthesia nurse has given you instructions about eating and drinking. Follow these instructions carefully. The moment you go under anesthesia your stomach must be empty, otherwise the operation cannot continue. We request that you do not smoke on the day of the operation. Smoking stimulates the lungs and influences stomach function, which means that food digestion is slower.

• The anesthetisia nurse will advise which medicines you should take in preparation for the operation and which medicines you should stop taking. For example: you will receive advice about the use of diuretics (water tablets). You should usually stop taking anticoagulant (blood-thinning) medicines. If this is the case, the anesthesia nurse will discuss this with you.
• Will you be going home the same day after the operation? Arrange timely transport and guidance. You may not be able to drive back home after the operation.
• Also arrange that you are not alone at home the night after the operation.
• To prevent infections, it is important that you take a bath or shower before you come to the hospital, wash your hair and brush your teeth. Do not use body lotion on the day of the operation.
• If the skin of the operating area is hairy, we ask you not to shave the hair area yourself or to depilate it in any other way. If the surgeon finds it necessary to remove the hair, it will be done at an appropriate time. In this way we reduce the risk of infections.
• Remove all makeup, including nail polish.
• It is better to leave jewelry at home.
• Choose loose, comfortable clothing, so that it will be easy to redress.
• Bring your own medication for at least 2 days.

3. An operation during a day admission

With most treatments or examinations you can go home at the end of the day. This is called a day admission or day treatment.

Preparation

You report to the reception on the ground floor. You will then be referred to the waiting room. You may have to wait in the waiting room. A nurse will show you the way around the hospital or nursing ward. In an admission interview, topics are discussed that are important for the employees who care for and treat you. You can also make your own personal preferences known. If an operation is to be performed, you must first consult the treating physician.

Information about the day treatment department

If you receive a general anesthetic, the nurse will take you to the preparation room. Unfortunately, it is not possible for your partner or next of kin to go to the preparation room. You will lie in a bed and you will receive a surgical gown. Further preparations for the operation are also taking place. Are you receiving a local anesthetic? Then the nurse will take you directly to the operating room. Download the information folder (Dutch) about anesthesia and the admission.

After the operation

After the operation you will be taken to the “recovery room” (recovery). Here you wake up from the anesthetic. In the beginning you are a bit sleepy because of the anesthetic. You cannot receive visitors to the recovery room. You usually stay a few hours in the recovery room. Then you go back to the nursing ward. You have a drip (cannula or IV) in your arm. This is a thin tube that is inserted into a vein. You receive fluid and medication through the drip. Shortly after the operation you will be allowed to eat and drink. During the operation, the doctor sometimes places a drain in the wound area. A drain is a tube that drains wound fluid. Your doctor will determine when the drain can be removed. The nurses in the nursing ward will help you in the beginning with what you cannot do for yourself. Slowly but surely you need less help.