What To Expect
Safe, high-quality care close to home
Anesthesiology Care
Pre-Admission Testing
You deserve a surgery program designed with your comfort and convenience in mind. At Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth, we provide safe, high-quality care close to home.
During pre-admission testing, we will interview you to learn more about your medical history. Your doctor’s office will schedule this appointment one to two weeks before your surgery. Telephone interviews are an option for some patients. This appointment may take up to two hours. A parent or legal guardian must accompany children under 18 years.
Please bring the completed Anesthesia Questionnaire with you to your Pre-Admission Testing appointment. This appointment may include any of the following:
- Anesthesia interview
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Lab tests
- Physical therapy consults when needed
- Registration
- Surgical nurse interview
- X-rays
Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time to register.
What to Bring to Your Pre-Admission Testing Appointment
- One of the following forms of personal identification:
- A government-issued picture identification or current Massachusetts driver’s license, passport, or other government-issued I.D.
- All insurance information.
- Please complete the Health Care Proxy form and bring it to your Pre-Admission Testing visit and/or day of surgery. If you already have a Health Care Proxy, please bring a signed copy to your Pre-Admission Testing appointment.
Reviewing Your Medical History
It’s important to share your medical history with our team to receive the best care during your surgery.
Before Your Hospital Stay
You can take steps to prepare for your hospital stay at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Plymouth. Before you arrive, your doctor will discuss with you how to eat or fast, what to bring and any tests you need before your procedure. You don’t need to fast unless specifically told by doctor or a member of their office staff.
If you have an advance directive your care team will confirm that with you.
Tell Your Anesthesiologist About:
Our anesthesiologists receive extensive training on managing chronic conditions that may need attention during surgery. If you have diabetes, asthma, heart problems, arthritis or other health issues, please let us know. This will help us best care for you before and after your surgery.
Tell your doctor if you have any food and drug allergies.
Cigarettes and alcohol affect the lungs, heart, liver and blood. They also change the way an anesthetic drug works during surgery. It is essential to let your surgeon and anesthesiologist know about past, recent and current use of these substances. Your surgery can be a motivator to quit smoking. Our doctors, nurses and other health professionals are here to give you support. Quitting will help you heal and recover faster. It also reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer.
Some commonly used herbal products may cause changes in your heart rate, blood pressure and may increase bleeding. Tell your care team if you take ginkgo biloba, garlic, ginger or ginseng. St. John's Wort and kava may increase the time a sedative stays in your body, making you sleep longer. It is best to stop taking all herbal supplements two to three weeks before surgery, but be sure to speak with your doctor prior to making herbal supplement changes.
Tell your surgeon and anesthesiologist about any prescription and over-the-counter medications you have recently taken. Your doctors need to know if you take aspirin daily or dietary supplements, since they can prolong bleeding and interfere with muscle relaxants used by anesthesiologists. You must stop some medicines, such as blood thinners, for a period before surgery. Speak with your doctor before stopping any medications.
All conversations between you and your doctors are confidential. Your doctors must know if you have taken drugs recently or in the past. This allows your doctor to provide you with the safest anesthesia possible.
Surgery Day
It is important to be prepared for your surgery. Follow the instructions from your doctors office.
Don't Eat After Midnight the Day Before Your Surgery
Your doctor will remind you not to eat or drink after midnight unless your surgeon has given other instructions; this includes gum and hard candy. If your surgery is after noon and you don't have a history of gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), diabetes or obesity, you may have a small amount of clear liquids four hours before the scheduled procedure.
Water, black coffee (NO MILK OR CREAM), black tea, ginger ale, gatorade, apple juice, white grape juice and white cranberry juice are clear liquids. Be sure to discuss restrictions during your pre-admission testing visit.
What To Expect
- Don't wear jewelry to the hospital on the day of your surgery. If you forget, give your jewelry to the person who took you to the hospital.
- Before surgery, your anesthesiologist will meet with you again to review your medical history and discuss the results of any tests you may have had before surgery. By learning about your medical history and studying your medical tests, your anesthesiologist will clearly understand your needs. This keeps you safe during surgery.
- Because it is unsafe to drive after receiving anesthesia, you will need a responsible adult to take you home. You cannot take a bus or taxi.
- When you leave the hospital, an adult should stay with you for 24 hours after anesthesia. It takes that long for the anesthesia to wear off.
- If you feel you may have a medical emergency, call 911 and go to the nearest emergency room. If you aren't feeling well, but don't believe it is an emergency, contact your surgeon and/or primary care doctor. You can also contact BID Plymouth Pre-Admission Testing Department at 508-830-2903.
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