General Pre-Operative Instructions

If you are to have preoperative studies performed (labs, X - ray, EKG, etc.), be sure to follow the additional instructions carefully as to the time and date of these procedures. They have to be completed and reviewed prior to the day of surgery.

Stop all aspirin type products approximately 10 days prior to surgery, or as specifically directed by your surgeon. These include all arthritis and pain type medications except for Tylenol. All the other medications may increase bleeding and potential complications. If you are taking any other type of blood thinner or platelet drug, please contact the surgeon to determine when these medications should be stopped prior to surgery.

No food or liquids after midnight on the morning and day of surgery. This is a strict instruction, as the anesthesiologist will cancel the surgery if you have anything in your stomach. Even if the hospital instructs you otherwise, it is safest not to have anything in the stomach for seven or eight hours prior to surgery. This includes crackers, juice or coffee. For children under age 12, additional instructions may be given. You may still take morning doses of medications on the day of surgery with a small sip of water. (Please ask your physician as to which medications you should take.) Try to take these as soon as you wake up to help keep your stomach otherwise empty. If you use inhaled breathing medications, please bring these with you to the hospital.
If you become significantly ill within the week before surgery (high fever, productive cough, nausea or vomiting, etc.) please call our office as soon as possible to speak with the nurse or physician and determine whether the procedure should be rescheduled. Please do not let this wait until the day prior to surgery. It takes a great deal of time and effort to schedule surgical procedures, and numerous personnel including your surgeon and anesthesiologist are dependent on this.

After you talk to hospital on the day before surgery to determine what time to show up, please still arrive an additional 30 minutes prior to the hospital's time. ENT cases are frequently moved up and we would prefer to have you at the hospital in case we can move your case up earlier. If you are the "first case" you do not have to arrive earlier.

Please contact our office at 281-265-1160 any questions regarding the above instructions or need more specific instructions and schedule sheets you have been given regarding your surgery. We would like to make your experience as pleasant as possible and are here to help straighten out any problem that may come up.