Medical assessment
If you are about to undergo surgery and have general health concerns (with the heart or lungs for instance) it is best to arrange for review by an anaesthetist or a physician. We will make suitable arrangements tailored to your needs.
It is important to do this well ahead of the surgery date. This provides for specialised care in the immediate post-operative period, helping reduce the risk of complications.
Medications
Some medications have a major impact on surgery and the early post-operative period.
Amongst the most important are medications that reduce clotting (“thin the blood”) and these may need to be stopped well before surgery because of possible bleeding problems.
This group includes warfarin (Coumadin); clopidogrel (Plavix, Iscover); ticlopidine (Ticlid, Ticlopidine Hexal, Tilodene); the newer anticoagulants (Pradaxa, Xarelto and Eliquis); all aspirin containing medications and most of the anti-inflammatory agents (but not Celebrex or Mobic).
However, do not stop taking any medicines before discussing them with your surgeon. We will advise when to stop taking them.
Allergies
Always tell your surgeon about any allergies to drugs to avoid potentially serious problems.
Admission to hospital
Once a plan for surgery has been decided, bookings will be made with the appropriate hospital. In most cases, admission to hospital is on the morning of the day of surgery.
Nursing staff will supervise preparations for surgery in the admissions unit and the anaesthetist will make a visit or call you shortly before the time of surgery.