Your doctor will provide you a list of medications that need to be stopped before surgery (for example; Coumadin, Plavix, Aspirin, vitamins) Always talk to your surgeon before making any changes to the medications you take.

The night before surgery you should shower and not have anything to eat or drink after midnight.

On the day of surgery you will first go to the registration area on the fifth floor of the Guggenheim Pavilion (for a map, please visit www.mountsinai.org/map), where you will receive important information regarding your rights as a patient and review the information in your file (e.g., spelling of your name, home address, insurance, and planned procedure).  Your family will go to the Surgical Waiting area and register with the receptionist.

Next, you will go to the patient assessment area to change into a hospital gown. A registered nurse will verify your planned procedure, your medical history and condition, and review any allergies you may have. Your nurse will also review the results of any test(s) ordered by your physician and perform any necessary final testing.

You will then be escorted to the pre-surgical holding area, where you will meet the surgical team, which includes your surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurse. The team will prepare you for the procedure and mark the surgical site. You will be connected to monitors and have your vital signs taken. Your anesthesiologist will also place some intravenous lines for subsequent drug administration. The anesthesiologist may give you a drug to help you relax. If there are any issues you would like to discuss regarding the operation, this would be the last opportunity to do so.

From the holding area, your anesthesiologist will wheel you into the operation room where you will be transferred onto the operating table.