Attend pre-operative appointments

Plan on spending most of the day at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for your pre-operative appointments:

• Ask a family member or friend to accompany you during the pre-operative visits  
• Your appointments will be in different areas of the hospital
• There is a shuttle bus to transport you, if needed
• Bring snacks and a drink along with you.  There are cafeterias, cafes and vending machines available

The following occurs during the pre-surgical visit with your surgeon or physician assistant:

• Review details, risks and benefits of the surgery
• You will be asked to sign a consent form
• We will do a nasal swab to look for the possibility of Methicillin-Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA), a skin bacteria (The risk is small, at approximately 5%, however we like to do everything possible to minimize the risk)
• You will receive a prescription for a blood thinner (there is about a 1% chance of a blood clot to the lungs, but we want to make every effort to prevent that from happening)

The following occurs during the pre-surgical visit with anesthesia team:

• Discuss your anesthesia options
• Perform a physical examination to be sure that there aren’t other medical issues of concern with regard to the anesthesia
• You will be able to eat freely up until midnight on the evening before surgery
• You can continue to drink clear liquids up to 2 hours prior to the procedure, and we would encourage you to do so