Return Home
HealthSearch
Health Guide

The day of your surgery - adult

Description

You are scheduled to have surgery. Learn about what to expect on the day of surgery so that you will be prepared.

The surgeon's office will let you know what time you should arrive on the day of surgery. This may be early in the morning.

Alternative Names

Same-day surgery - adult; Ambulatory surgery - adult; Surgical procedure - adult; Preoperative care - day of surgery

What to Expect Before Surgery

You will have met with your surgeon before the day of your surgery. You may meet with the surgeon again right before the operation.

You may have an in-person or phone meeting with an anesthesia nurse or provider before the day of surgery. On the day of surgery, you will meet with the anesthesia providers who will take care of you during surgery.

Try to ask detailed questions about surgery and anesthesia before the day of your operation since you and your providers will have more time to talk.

When you talk with your surgery team on the day of surgery, expect them to:

You will need to sign admission papers and consent forms for surgery and anesthesia. Bring these items to make it easier:

What to Expect on the day of Surgery

At home on the day of surgery:

Here is what to bring and what to leave at home:

Plan to arrive at your surgery unit at the scheduled time. You may need to arrive up to 2 hours before surgery.

The staff will prepare you for surgery. They will:

What to Expect After Surgery

You will go to the recovery room after surgery. How long you stay there depends on the surgery you had, your anesthesia, and how fast you wake up. If you are going home, you will be discharged after:

If you are staying at the hospital, you will be transferred to a hospital room. The nurses there will:

What to Expect Going Home

You should expect to:

References

Smith SF, Duell DJ, Martin BC, Aebersold M, Gonzalez L. Perioperative care. In: Smith SF, Duell DJ, Martin BC, Gonzalez L, Aebersold M, eds. Clinical Nursing Skills: Basic to Advanced Skills. 9th ed. New York, NY: Pearson; 2016:chap 26.

Zaydfudim VM, Hu Y, Adams RB. Principles of preoperative and operative surgery. In: Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 21st ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2022:chap 10.


Review Date: 8/22/2022
Reviewed By: Debra G. Wechter, MD, FACS, General Surgery Practice Specializing in Breast Cancer, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.