Patient Preparation

Here are some things you can do to make your anaesthetic safer and your surgery more successful:

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• Stop or reduce smoking (ideally for at least 6 weeks prior to your surgery)

• Reduce alcohol consumption, and avoid alcohol the night prior to your operation.

• Stop taking any recreational drugs or herbal medications 4 weeks prior to your surgery.

• Stop certain drugs as advised by your surgeon or anaesthetist. This may include drugs that increase bleeding such as Iscover, Plavix, Warfarin, Aspirin and Anti Inflammatories.

• Follow fasting instructions.

• Bring a list all of your medications and allergies with you to hospital.

• If you use a CPAP machine for obstructive sleep apnoea, bring it to hospital with you (even if you are only coming for day surgery).

• If you have a serious medical condition such as heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes, asthma, or high BP make sure you have had a recent check-up with your GP or specialist. Bring any letters about your conditions.

• If you have had a problem with an anaesthetic in the past please bring any details, including any letters, with you to hospital.

• Get physically fit - do regular exercise for a few weeks prior to surgery.

• Be well rested and get a good sleep the night before your anaesthetic.

• If you feel unwell when you are due to come into hospital for your operation, let your surgeon or the hospital know. Your operation may need to be postponed until you are better.

 

Medications

 

You should continue to take your normal medications, including heartburn or reflux medications, up to and including the day of surgery (with a sip of water 2 hours before your procedure), unless your anaesthetist or surgeon has asked you not to.

 

Specific instructions may be given to you for blood thinning medications (including aspirin), diabetes medications (including insulin), some blood pressure medications.

 

Bring your medications with you to hospital on your day of surgery.

 

Fasting

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Preoperative “fasting” is important to allow your stomach to have a minimum of food or liquid at the time of your procedure. This will minimize the risk of life-threatening aspiration, which means stomach contents coming up into the lungs. This is more likely to occur when you are sedated or unconscious. Inadequate fasting may result in your procedure being delayed or postponed to another day. This is for your safety.

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The hospital will normally contact you prior to surgery to inform you of the appropriate fasting times before your procedure. As a general rule, you should have no food or drink for 6 hours prior to anaesthesia. This also includes no milk. Small amounts (<200ml) of clear fluids (eg. water, black tea or coffee, pulp-free apple juice) may be taken up to 2 hours prior to anaesthesia. Special instructions may apply to infants under 6 months of age.

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This usually means: For morning surgery, fasting from midnight the night before. For afternoon surgery, a light breakfast (tea and toast) before 7am on the day of surgery. Regular medications can be taken with a sip of water unless instructed otherwise.