All patients will need an up-to-date medical history and physical form. Some may need blood tests, EKG or x-rays. Your surgeon or the pre-op teammate will advise where you will have this done.
Some families may elect to bring their children for a preoperative tour of The Surgery Center of Clarksville.
Some patients may choose to come to the Center before their surgery date to complete their Pre-operative health screen on the computer if you do not have access to a computer at home or to make payments. We strongly recommend that you complete all preoperative documentation before the day of surgery. These forms can easily be accessed from the pre-registration link on this web site. Failure to complete the process could result in delay or cancellation of your procedure.
Yes. We strongly encourage you to have completed all the registration forms before the day of surgery. For your convenience, we have provided an online registration feature.
Please notify the surgeon and the Surgery Center of Clarksville at (931) 552-9992 as early as possible if you cannot make your scheduled appointment. Early notification can help us better accommodate you and other patients.
Please wear comfortable clothing. Button-down shirts or blouses are best. Wear comfortable shoes. Leave all jewelry at home, including body-piercing jewelry. If you wear contact lenses, you will probably have to remove them for the surgery, so consider bringing your glasses. If you have to wear your contacts, please bring contact solution and contacts case. Please do not wear any make-up as this can hide certain clinical signs. Please remove all body piercings.
You refrain from eating and/or drinking prior to surgery in order to prevent the risks of vomiting and possibly inhaling contents during your surgery. This complication is very serious and you need to strictly abide by our recommendations. This has nothing to do with nausea and vomiting after your surgery as some think.
We have very clear policies as to specific times before surgery when you must refrain from eating and/or drinking. These are all based on safety standards. Please note that the standards have been revised recently. We believe that the fasting time should be as short as safely possible before your surgery. You will not improve your safety by not eating or drinking longer than necessary; in fact, at times you may complicate things a bit.
Children have different fasting schedules than adults - so please check in the Children and Special Needs Adults section.
We generally request that you take your medication before leaving home. Diabetic medications will be individualized. We will usually hold diabetic medicines and manage your sugar at the Center. You should be contacted before your surgery leaving no doubts in your mind as to which medications you should take. Please bring all your medications with you.
People using inhalers must bring them to the Center on the day of surgery.
Some medications will be stopped for the surgery, particularly diabetes medication and blood thinners. You should bring these medications with you the day of surgery. Please call us with any questions you may have.
Herbal medications may have harmful effects on the surgery. Many of these remedies may effect your clotting mechanism and interfere with the anesthetic agents. (The list of drugs and their side effects are too great for this site.) We generally request that you stop these medications two weeks before surgery. Please remember to mention these remedies when being asked about medication.
You are welcome to bring one person with you to the Center. That person will be allowed to be with you before surgery and may sit with you after the surgery if you so choose.
When a patient is a child often two parents and/or guardians will accompany him or her to the Center. We will do our best to accommodate everyone, however, one parent and/or guardian will be permitted into the recovery room at a time.
Please refrain from bringing young children to the Center as guests.
We will individualize each patient's care.
Yes. We call each patient before the surgery to gather information and hopefully answer any of your questions. Preoperative instructions will be on the website when you complete your pre-operative history. You can also call the Center directly with any questions.
Yes. You can comfortably take a shower, bathe, brush your teeth, etc. Please do not use make up, hair spray, nail polish or toiletries. These may interfere with the anesthesia monitoring and possibly hide clinical signs from the anesthesiologist.
If you are not feeling well, please contact your surgeon immediately. During normal business hours, you can call the Center for advice. There are some surgeries which are safer if delayed when you are sick. We need to know specific details to make the decision. Please do not delay in contacting your surgeon or the Center.
This will not affect most surgical procedures. There are a few specific gynecological procedures which may be impacted by menstruation. Call us if you have any questions at (931) 552-9992 ext 4.
It is very important for us to be aware of this possibility. Only essential surgery is done on pregnant patients. If there is any doubt please contact us immediately.
Any patient receiving anesthesia should not drive until the next day. A patient receiving sedation for a procedure needs a ride home. All patients must have a ride home and will be received by a responsible adult when they arrive home. A responsible adult must stay with the patient for 24 hours after surgery. Patients will not be allowed to drive or walk home after sedation or anesthesia. Please make the appropriate arrangements.
All patients will be seen by the anesthesiologist on the day of surgery prior to entering the operating room. Sufficient time should be spent to answer any questions you may have. If you need to speak to the anesthesiologist before the day of surgery, you are welcome to call the Center and we will arrange for you speak with an anesthesiologist. We can also arrange a preoperative interview if you desire. You could also email your questions.
We will make every effort to accommodate any special need you may have. We strongly encourage you to call the Surgery Center in advance so that we can properly prepare to make you comfortable. Do not hesitate to call and suggest anything that may make your day easier. Please bring any walkers, post-op crutches, hearing aids, etc.
The management of your pain is of great importance to us. We will be assessing your level of pain from the time of admission until you receive our postoperative call at home. We need to inform and prepare you for each step of the process. This education will begin with our first contact. You will be repeatedly asked to rate your pain from a numerical scale called the Visual Analog Pain Scale, or for children, the Faces Pain Scale. Using the results of our communication we will alter the therapy as needed in order to assure your comfort.
The management of your pain will be taken very seriously. We will often use a combination of different modalities to help make you comfortable, choosing from oral medications, intravenous medications, nerve blocks, injection of local anesthetic during the surgery, etc. and prior to the surgery, the management of your pain should be discussed with both your anesthesiologist and surgeon. Please feel free to bring up any concerns or fears you may have. Remember that information on pain management gives you the appropriate expectations and hence a smoother, more comfortable recovery.