Day of Surgery

By now, you should have followed your fasting guidelines, documented your
medications and made arrangements for your return. However, there are several additional steps you should take on the day of your surgery at an Atlantic Health System location that will make your experience a more positive one:

  • Take a shower using an antibacterial soap (or the
    special soap you were given)
  • You may brush your teeth or rinse your mouth, but do
    not swallow water
  • Follow the medication instructions given to you by
    your surgeon and/or pre-operative nurse
  • Do not wear makeup, mascara, skin creams, lotions,
    nail polish or metal hairpins
  • Plan to arrive on time, leaving enough time for
    parking
  • Menstruating women should not use tampons
  • Wear comfortable clothing
  • Remove all jewelry and leave it at home
  • Do not bring any valuables to the hospital
  • Arrive on schedule to ensure there is enough time
    for surgical preparation

 

What to Bring on the Day of Surgery:

  • Glasses and an eyeglass case, if needed (remove contact lenses and leave them at home)
  • Form of identification (driver's license) and insurance cards
  • List of medications, including name, dosage and frequency
  • Copy of your advanced directive or living will
  • Assistive devices such as hearing aids, crutches, canes, nasal C-Pap (bi-pap) machines, etc.
  • Any X-ray films or medical information you may have
    at home pertaining to this surgery

If you pack an overnight bag, leave it in the car until your surgery is completed. A family member or friend can bring it to your room after you have arrived there.

What to Expect When You Arrive for Surgery:

 When you arrive for surgery at an Atlantic Health System location, you can expect the following:

  •  During a short registration process, an armband will be placed on your wrist.
  • You will then be escorted to the “holding area,” where you will change into a hospital gown and remove any dentures, hearing aids and eyeglasses.
  • A pre-operative (pre-op) nurse will complete your health history and assessment, provide pre- and post-op instructions, start an intravenous (IV) line (a small catheter in your hand or arm that will provide access to your circulatory system for medications), and oversee any additional preparation your surgeon has requested.
  • Once your IV line has been started, your family may join you in the holding area.

A nurse will then escort you on a stretcher into the operating room (OR), where you will meet the anesthesiology specialist and the OR nurse who will be caring for you.

Locations

Morristown Medical Center

111 Madison Avenue – Morristown

Morristown Medical Center Health Pavilion

Overlook Medical Center

Newton Medical Center

Chilton Medical Center

Hackettstown Medical Center