For Patients, Families & Visitors
Return to Preparing for Surgery Overview
More on Preparing for Surgery
Preparing for Surgery
We aim to make your admittance to the hospital proceed as smoothly and comfortably as possible. One way to ease any concerns you may have is to familiarize yourself with the process before you arrive. Therefore, in this section, we will give you some details about what you can expect when you come to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to undergo a surgical procedure. Please be sure to ask any member of your healthcare team if you have further questions about your upcoming surgery.
What to expect before a scheduled surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center:
- A nurse will call you the night before surgery. During the call, she will tell you what time to arrive and what you need to bring - and she will answer any last minute questions you may have. The nurse will also will let you know at what time you no longer can have any food or drink. The nurse may also ask you some relevant general health questions. If you have developed any symptoms - particularly respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, sneezing, runny nose - please notify your doctor. If indicated, your surgery may have to be postponed.
- Please be sure to arrive at the Hospital on-time. Valet Parking Service is available in front of the Hospital at Broadway and 166th Street.
- Go to the admitting office in the lobby of the hospital. You will be directed to an exam room, where you will change into a hospital gown and receive an identification bracelet, which will be worn until you are discharged from the hospital. The nurse will conduct a brief examination, including taking your temperature and blood pressure, measuring height and weight, and listening to your heart through a stethoscope.
- A limited number of lockers are available for personal items.
- You will then return to the waiting area. At some point, your surgeon will come and take you to a private area to speak with you.
- You'll also meet with the anesthesiologist. Please let the anesthesiologist know if you or anyone in your family has had reactions to anesthesia. The anesthesiologist will discuss the way in which the anesthesia will be administered - either through a breathing mask or intravenously.
- You probably will already have signed a consent form in the surgeon's office. If not, then you will be required to sign one in the hospital before the surgery.
- When you are taken to the operating room, any family or friends who may have accompanied you will be asked to remain in the waiting area. They will be kept informed by a nurse or doctor.
Day Surgery
After your surgery,
- You will be taken to the recovery room until you have sufficiently recovered from the anaesthesia and are able to drink some liquids.
- At this point, you will be ready to be discharged. Your doctor or nurse will let you know about any special changes to your diet or activities, and about any medications you must take. You may be asked to call for a follow-up appointment.
After surgery, you will be taken either to the recovery room or to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Your doctor or a nurse will let your family and friends know when you can receive visitors.
What to expect before a scheduled surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
- You will need to call between 4:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m. the evening before the scheduled surgery to find out the time and place for your arrival. You will be given the correct number to call by your physician or during pre-admission testing. If the surgery is scheduled for Monday, call on Friday. If it is scheduled after a holiday, you will need to call evening before the holiday.
- Once you arrive at the surgery unit, you will be given pajamas and slippers in a bag and will be taken to a changing room. If you have brought an overnight bag, it will be taken to the nurses' station on your unit.
- A nurse will then interview you in a private interview room and ask you some general health questions. The nurse will also conduct a brief examination including taking your temperature and blood pressure, measuring height and weight, and listening to your heart through a stethoscope. You will then be taken to the waiting room to wait for your surgery.
- The surgeon and anesthesiologist will speak to you either in the interview room or the operating room.
- Before you are taken to the operating room, you will sign a consent form.
- A Nurse Liaison is available from 10:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. to update any family members or friends who may be in the waiting room during your surgery.
Following your ambulatory surgery:
- Your will be moved from the recovery room to a holding area - a short-stay recovery area until you are ready to be discharged.
- Once you have recovered sufficiently from the anesthesia, can drink some liquids and have met the criteria for discharge, you will be able to go home.
- You will be given instructions regarding your diet, activities and medications. You will need to call for a follow-up appointment.
- You will receive a follow-up call from a nurse the following day.
When you are ready to leave the recovery room, you will be taken to your hospital room. A member of the Escort Service will delivery your belongings to the Nurses Station of your assigned floor.
