First Day Surgery: Visiting and Waiting
The Day of Surgery
The First Day Surgery (FDS) Unit is open 5:30 am to 6:00 pm. The Main Hospital door is open at all times. Please check in at FDS at your scheduled time. Enter using the Main Hospital door the day of your surgery. See map on back of front cover.
After you arrive, you will be taken to a room to prepare for surgery. Your family member(s) will be given a pager and directed to a waiting area. A nurse will ask you questions about your health and help you get ready. An anesthesia doctor will meet with you and answer questions. You will have an IV (intravenous) placed in a vein of your hand or arm. An IV is used to give fluids and medicine. You may be given medicine to help you relax. Before you leave for the operating room (OR), we will page your family so you can meet with them again.
In the Operating Room (OR)
You will be taken to the OR on a rolling cart. Once you are in the OR, your nurse will answer questions and make sure you are comfortable.
The staff wears masks, gowns, and hats. They will help you move onto a narrow, firm bed. The nurse will place a safety belt, like a seat belt, across your legs. They will place ECG (electrocardiogram) patches on your chest, a blood pressure cuff on your arm, and a plastic clip on your finger to check your heartbeat and oxygen level. The anesthesiologist will ask you to breathe oxygen through a soft plastic mask and medicine will be given to you through your IV. After you are asleep, a breathing tube will be placed in your windpipe to breathe for you. Other IVs and monitors will be added after you are asleep.
A Note to Families
The amount of time your loved one spends in the operating room depends on the type of surgery. You can wait in the Surgery Waiting Area (C5/2) on second floor. If you have family that will be calling, please have them call (608) 263-8590. You may want to bring along a book or something to do since the time may seem to pass slowly. There is coffee, tea, reading materials, computers, and TVs in this waiting area from 7:30 am until 6:30 pm weekdays. If you wish to leave the waiting area, please pick up a pager at the volunteer desk. The nurses will keep you informed during surgery. After surgery, the surgeon will talk with you.
Sometime during the day, take your parking pass to the main hospital information desk to have it stamped and to get one pass to be used during your loved one’s stay.
The information provided should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
Last Updated: 10/09/2009
Copyright © 10/02/2009 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority. All rights reserved. Produced by the Department of Nursing. UWH #6958
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