Everything for your surgery day - patients & family
|
 |
| We strive to provide you with the most information possible to improve your overall care. We know that your surgical day is a big event in your life. That is why we are committed to providing you with all the information you need to make informed decisions. Let's face it, the more you know, the better your overall care will be. Take some time to review the valuable information below for patients and family. |
|
Download and Print this Information
Download Silicon's Patient Brochures
Download Bascom's Patient Brochure
PATIENT FORMS
Discharge Instructions Following Anesthesia
Discharge Instructions Following Anesthesia (Pediatrics)
Discharge Instructions for Pain Management Patients
Forms require free Adobe Reader - click here if necessary
SCHEDULING YOUR PROCEDURE
Your physician's office will schedule your procedure. You do not need to come into the surgery center prior to your surgery to pre-register.
Silicon Valley Surgery Center, LP
14601 S. Bascom Avenue Suite 100
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Main telephone number:
(650) 289-1653
Fax to (408) 519-6480 |
Bascom Surgery Center
3808 S. Bascom Avenue Suite 106
Campbell, CA 95008
Main telephone number: (650) 289-1653
Fax to (408) 519-6480 |
LOCATION AND PARKING
If you are considering having your surgery performed at Silicon or Bascom, the following information will help make your experience with us more comfortable. We ask that you review this web site and call us with any concerns or questions:
Silicon Valley Surgery Center, LP
14601 S. Bascom Avenue Suite 100
Los Gatos, CA 95032
Main telephone number: (408) 402-0663
Bascom Surgery Center
3808 S. Bascom Avenue Suite 106
Campbell, CA 95008
Phone (408) 369-9535 Fax (408) 369-9106
Complimentary parking is available at both Silicon and Bascom locations. We are located on the main level. Go to the waiting area and our reception staff will assist you through the admitting process.
There are drop-off or parking spaces directly in front of the surgery center.
CLICK HERE TO DIRECTIONS AND A DETAILED MAP TO SILICON & BASCOM LOCATIONS
PREPARING FOR THE DAY OF SURGERY
You may receive a preoperative phone call from one of our staff 1-4 days before your scheduled surgery. The caller will review your health history and answer any questions you have. If you are having a routine endoscopy, colonoscopy or pain procedure/injection you will not receive a phone call unless you are 65 years or older. If you have not heard from our staff, please contact us at the Silicon location at (408) 402-0663 or the Bascom location at (408) 369-9535 with any questions. |
 |
It is essential to your health and the success of your surgery that you follow these instructions. Please read over them carefully and contact us if you have any remaining questions.
DO NOT EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING 8 HOURS PRIOR TO YOUR SURGERY. This includes water, mints, chewing gum, or lozenges. Your stomach must be completely empty to avoid any anesthesia complications. You should not smoke after midnight the night before surgery.
Call your physician immediately if you develop a cold, cough, fever or skin infection that might interfere with the surgical area.
ON THE DAY OF YOUR SURGERY:
- Plan to arrive one hour prior to your scheduled surgery time unless specifically instructed differently.
- Do not use lotion, oils or perfume after bathing. Remove nail polish if you are having hand or foot surgery.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing that can accommodate large dressings and tender surgery sites.
- Wear flat comfortable shoes.
- Leave valuables such as jewelry, watches and money at home (unless you have been contacted to bring a payment). The surgery center cannot be responsible for them during your stay.
- Bring hearing aids, glasses and case, containers for contact lenses and denture case with you.
- Please bring a list of your current medications and dosages with you.
- Since you may experience lightheadedness, dizziness or sleepiness after anesthesia, we request that a family member or friend accompany you home. Your ride is welcome to wait in our lobby or we can contact him or her by phone when you are ready to be discharged. Please limit your family and friends to 1-2 people and do not bring young children unless they will be supervised by a responsible adult.
- For pediatric patients, we ask that a parent remain in the building at all times until the surgery is completed. Once the procedure is completed and the child is awakening in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit, a parent will be allowed to visit his or her child for comfort measures as appropriate.
- If you receive General Anesthesia, you must have someone stay with you for 24 hours.
- We ask that you and your family do not talk on cell phones in our lobby as a courtesy to others.
- Be sure to bring your insurance card. If any payment is necessary, bring a check, major credit card or cash to pay your fee.
- Patients under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who will remain at the center until surgery is completed.
DAY OF SURGERY
Registration Desk/Lobby
At the registration desk, the admitting clerk will request your insurance card for billing purposes. After registering, please wait in our lobby until the nursing staff calls your name to bring you back into the preoperative area.
Admission to Preoperative Unit
Once in our preoperative room, you will be provided with a gown, robe and slippers. You may be asked to remove contact lenses, dentures, jewelry, hairpieces and prosthesis before going into the operating room. Your clothes will be stored safely and returned as you prepare for discharge.
A nurse will take your pulse, temperature, respiration and blood pressure and ask you about your health history including whether you have any allergies. You will initial the site of surgery. The nurse or member of the surgical team will physically mark the area or location of your surgery as a matter of protocol.
The anesthesiologist will meet with your before your procedure. The anesthesiologist will review your medical history, discuss the anesthesia plan and answer any questions. At this time, the anesthesiologist or nurse will gently start an intravenous (IV) line. Should you have eaten prior to surgery, your procedure will be cancelled.
Unless you are scheduled for a local anesthesia you will have an anesthesiologist assigned to your case.You will be asked the same questions by multiple staff members. Certain key questions such as what procedure you will have, what you are allergic to and if you ate any food after midnight are critical to your safety. This redundancy is part of our safety protocols, so please do not be annoyed.
You will be asked to wait in our pre-op area until the operating room in which your procedure is scheduled is ready for you. Note that patients are not taken in order of arrival for their surgery; rather, they are scheduled in specific operating rooms that are equipped for the type of surgery scheduled. It is not unusual for a patient who arrives after you to be taken into surgery before you.
Occasionally, unavoidable delays occur. Either an urgent case is moved ahead of yous or the previous patients' surgery lasted longer than anticipated. This is rare and we appreciate your understanding.
The Operating Room
When your surgeon and the surgical team are ready, you will be escorted to the operating room by a nurse. You will be placed on the operating room table and positioned to ensure comfort and safety.
In the operating room, there are bright lights, instruments, equipment and an appropriately sterile environment. You might find the temperature in the operating rooms too cold but we have warm blankets on hand. Operating room members wear face masks when they enter the operating room to maintain a sterile environment. Even though this may be frightening and scary, we ensure that you are in competent hands. The anesthesiologist will apply the necessary monitoring apparatus so that your breathing and vital signs will be monitored throughout your procedure.
ANESTHESIA
Anesthesia keeps you pain free during surgery. It can cause loss of feeling or sensation during the operation with or without loss of consciousness. Your surgeon and your anesthesiologist will discuss the type of anesthesia that is appropriate for your surgery.
Types of Anesthesia
Local Anesthesia:
You remain awake, but the part of your body that will be operated upon is made numb to pain. This loss of pain sensation is produced by directly injecting the area to be treated with numbing medication.
Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC)
You will be given pain medication and/or a sedative, in conjunction with a local anesthetic, to keep you comfortable during the procedure. Patients often recover quickly from this type of anesthesia.
Nerve Blocks
Nerve Blocks are a type of regional anesthesia most commonly used to numb a single extremity such as one arm or one leg. You may also receive sedatives and/or pain medications to ease your anxiety. These medications do not cause unconsciousness but may leave you with little or no memory of the procedure.
General Anesthesia
Patients are asleep and their entire bodies are made unaware of pain. Anesthesia is given by intravenous injection of medications and inhalation of anesthetic gases. Patients may have a breathing tube during the procedure to assist breathing. It is placed after the patient falls asleep and removed before he/she awakens.
Common Side Effects of Anesthesia
Depending on the type of anesthesia, you may experience a sore throat, mild nausea, headache, drowsiness and or fatigue after the procedure. Some patients do not experience any side effects. Talk to your anesthesiologist about what to expect.
AFTER SURGERY
Immediately after surgery, you will be moved to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) where you will be carefully monitored by members of our nursing and anesthesia staff, and your physician. Recovery time ranges from 20 minutes to a few hours. Your vital signs will be continuously monitored and medications (for relief of pain, anxiety or nausea) may be administered. When you first wake up, you may have an oxygen mask over your nose and mouth or a finger cover monitoring your blood oxygenation.
Your time in the PACU will vary depending on both how quickly your pain is controllable and how quickly you feel ready to be discharged home. You will be asked to rate your pain on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest. You will be discharged home when you are reasonably comfortable, free of nausea, able to drink small amounts of fluids and possibly tolerate crackers. You will be given pain medications until you feel the pain is controlled enough for discharge.
Your belongings will be returned and the nurse will review discharge instructions with you. Instructions will include information on wound care, bathing and activity restrictions, diet, follow-up appointment symptoms to report to your physician, and your physicians emergency contact information. You will receive a copy of the discharge instructions for your reference at home, and our staff will escort you to your car. The quicker you are able to become mobile and return to your home environment, the more rapid your recovery.
If you have any questions, we encourage you to call the surgery center. Silicon at (408) 402-0663 or Bascom at (408) 369-9535.
RECOVERING AT HOME
It has been well documented that patients recover most successfully from surgical procedures if they can quickly become mobile and return to their home environments. Therefore, it is our goal to return you home as soon as our discharge criteria are met.
We recommend that you have a family member or friend stay with you for the first 24 hours after surgery.
Contact your physician's office if you experience any problems or difficulties.
Do not drink any alcoholic beverages for 24 hours following surgery.
Follow your physician's post-operative instructions regarding diet, medications, rest, return visit and return to normal activities.
Most patients will receive a post-op telephone call from a staff member a couple days following the procedure so that we can ensure they are on the road to recovery. Please be sure to leave a number where you can be reached.
Do not drive or operate machinery for 24-48 hours following surgery.
MANAGING DISCOMFORT AT HOME
Everyone experiences pain differently. Most patients experience some discomfort after surgery, depending on the type of procedure. We recommend that you speak with your physician prior to surgery about the pain control method that would work best for you.
Patients are often comfortable when leaving the surgery center and do not think they will need a prescription pain pill. However, pain can increase in the post-operative period, so it is important that you fill the prescription for your pain medication.
Sometimes surgeons may use local anesthesia at the wound site to make the patient more comfortable. When the local anesthesia wears off, patients will want pain medications handy. It is much easier to control pain than try to alleviate it with more medication once you are very uncomfortable.
Take pain relief drugs when pain first begins and take the pain medication as prescribed every 4-6 hours with food to avoid an upset stomach. Consistent narcotic use every 4 hours will cause constipation. Increase your water, fruit and food fiber consumption. As time goes by, you will find you need less medication and it is easier to manage your pain. If the pain medication prescribed is ineffective, please contact your physician.
Switch to non-narcotic medications when possible. Tylenol and ibuprofen are excellent non-addictive medications for pain management.
Do not drive as when taking narcotic type medications. You should also refrain from any alcohol consumption while on narcotics.
WHEN TO CALL YOUR PHYSICIAN OR SEEK MEDICAL CARE
Either your physician or your physician's staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In an emergency, call 911.
Call your physician for any of the following:
- Temperature of 101 degrees or higher, and/or chills
- Nausea and vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours
- Increasing drowsiness
- Worsening pain not relieved by pain medication
- Increased swelling around the incision
- Redness around the incision that is spreading
- Bright red blood or foul-smelling discharge coming from the wound
INFORMATION FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
We invite your family to stay at the surgery center while you are having surgery. Our waiting room is equipped with wireless internet coverage so your family members can work while waiting.
We also have patient education materials available that cover many of the surgical procedures performed and will help your family better understand how to care for you.
The waiting room offers our guests a computer terminal with unrestricted access. Browse the numerous web-links that offer health information across many specialties.
Download and Print this Information
