Operating room

Next, you will meet your OR nurse, who will again verify all your information and ask your name and date of birth. This nurse will be with you throughout your surgery and assist you into the recovery room, or Post-Anesthesia Care Unit. (PACU). The OR nurse is specially trained to care for patients during surgery.

Recovery

After surgery, you will go to the recovery room, or Post Anesthesia Care Unit. In that unit, nurses skilled in anesthesia recovery will care for you. You will be in recovery anywhere from 45 minutes to about one hour, or until you are fully recovered from the effects of the anesthesia. Recovery is considered to be when your vital signs are within normal range, you arouse easily and your pain is manageable.

Family members are asked to remain in the waiting area so that the surgeon can speak to them after the surgery. Surgery times can vary, and the time scheduled for procedures are estimates. The surgeon will speak to your family some time between the end of the surgery and the time of discharge.

Family members must stay in the waiting area unless directed to your room. If for any reason they must leave the area, they need to tell the receptionist. If they choose not to wait there, they may not be able to speak with the surgeon at the end of your procedure. When they return to the waiting area, they must let the receptionist know they are back.

Our anesthesia staff will monitor you throughout your PACU or recovery period. While in recovery, the surgeon will speak with your family members and provide them with an update. If you are going to be discharged, you will be transferred to Phase II recovery. You will be given something to drink and provided with discharge instructions.

Before you go home, your doctor or nurse will explain about taking care of your wound. They will make sure you understand how to care for your wound before you leave the hospital and who to contact if you have questions or problems once you are home. If you have any symptoms of an infection such as redness and pain at the surgical site, drainage or fever, call your doctor immediately. Remember: Always wash your hands before and after caring for your wound. If you need to be admitted, you will be transferred to a nursing unit.

Family and friends

Family members and friends are an important part of your recovery support team. We will include them in your care whenever possible. However, we need their assistance in maintaining a safe, healing environment. Please remind them to follow the guidelines below to ensure our patients' safety, privacy and dignity.

• NOTE: In an effort to protect hospital patients from the spread of 2009 H1N1 and seasonal flu, effective Thursday, October 15, 2009, no one under the age of 18 is permitted in Hampton Roads area hospitals unless they are patients. This policy will remain in effect through the flu season or until further notice.

• The patient's nurse will invite family members back to PACU if and when it is appropriate for visitors. The nurse will call the waiting room desk to see if a visitor would like to see the patient briefly. If the patient is only going to be in PACU for an hour or less, families likely will not see the patient until they are moved to a room. (Our goal is to get them to their room quickly so they can be more comfortable.)

• Hand washing must be done prior to entering and leaving the PACU. There are no exceptions. Sick visitors will not be allowed in PACU. Infection is a great concern for a surgical patient and we want to do everything possible to prevent it.

• Visitation is limited to one adult visitor at a time. Only one or two visitors are allowed. (Our space is limited and busy. This is for safety and privacy.)

• Children are strongly discouraged in PACU. The waiting area is not conducive to long waits for children. We recommend that children be left in the care of someone outside the hospital for their comfort and safety.

• Visitation in the PACU is generally limited to 5-10 minutes. It may be shortened for safety and privacy.

• Due to allergies and the increased likelihood of nausea in a post-op patient, perfume and strong-smelling lotions are discouraged in PACU.

• If the patient has been in PACU for more than an hour, families should check with the receptionist at the waiting room desk for an update.

• One person should remain in the waiting area at all times while a patient is in PACU. The waiting room receptionist should be notified if that person needs to leave for whatever reason. Upon returning, a staff member should be notified as well.

Infections

A surgical site infection is an infection that occurs after surgery in the body part where the surgery took place. Most patients who have surgery do not develop infections. However, one to three of every 100 patients do. To prevent these infections, Chesapeake Regional doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers are taking several proactive steps:

• They clean their hands and arms up to their elbows with an antiseptic agent just before surgery.

• They clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub before and after caring for each patient.

• They may remove your hair, using electric clippers, immediately before the surgery.

• They wear special hair covers, masks, gowns and gloves during surgery to keep the surgery area clean.

• They will give you antibiotics before your surgery starts. In most cases, antibiotics will be given to you within 60 minutes before surgery starts and discontinued within 24 hours after surgery.

• They will clean the skin at the surgery site with a special soap that kills germs.

Smoking and surgery

Evidence suggests that smokers who quit at or before surgery experience fewer symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and are more likely to succeed in their attempt to stop smoking long term.

Your surgery represents a golden opportunity to make the commitment to quit smoking.

The immediate benefits of smoking cessation include increased oxygen in the blood and improvement in wound healing - both critical factors to a full and speedy recovery.

Chesapeake Regional Medical Center is committed to providing the best quality of life to our patients, employees and visitors. Therefore, our campus is entirely smoke-free.

Ask your nurses and doctors about Chesapeake Regional's smoking cessation programs and other ways to ease the difficulty of quitting smoking.