After Surgery

After surgery there will be various choices of a recovery route. The choice will be based primarily on your medical condition and safety needs. Some patients are alert and oriented immediately after surgery. They may well bypass the normal recovery room and go directly back to their rooms and recover in a comfortable chair with their families. Others may go to a normal recovery room where they will be carefully monitored by highly trained recovery room nurses with state-of-the-art equipment. Light nourishment will be available. As soon as the patient feels up to it, one adult visitor will be invited to visit the patient. When the anesthesiologist determines that the patient is ready to go home, the nurse will give written instructions for recovery at home. We will try to have your prescriptions called into the pharmacy, etc. so that your transition home can be as smooth and easy as possible. Once the patient is ready to leave, he/she will be escorted to his/her car by our personnel. No patient will be allowed to go home until we are absolutely satisfied with the safety of his/her discharge. In rare circumstances we may decide that it is best for you to be admitted to the hospital.

Please remember that we may not discharge you to any empty home. It is your responsibility to arrange to have someone at home with you for at least the first night. We will confirm that you have made arrangements.