Information for Patients: Preparing for Anesthesia and Surgery

What to Expect in the Operating Room

The physical layout varies slightly from one facility to the next, but once you arrive in the operating suite an overwhelming feeling may encompass you secondary to the activity and the attire of the personnel in the area. Do not be alarmed! A lot of activity will occur simultaneously to your arrival. 

By now you have met the anesthesia provider and your operating room nurse who will accompany you to the operating room. The same questions asked of you throughout your preparation will be asked once more and they include such things as allergies, when you last had something to eat or drink and type of procedure. As you are walked or wheeled on a stretcher to the operating room, your registered nurse will answer any questions you may have and offer reassurance. You may notice bright lights, instruments, equipment, and an environment that is so clean we call it sterile. You will notice the operating room team members putting on face masks as they enter the operating room to maintain the sterile environment. As you move from the stretcher to the operating room table, warm blankets will be provided to off set the cool temperature of the operating room. 

The anesthesia provider will remain in proximity to your head and airway, monitoring your vital signs throughout the surgery. The anesthesiologist will begin giving medications through your intravenous line to relax you and make you comfortable. The surgeon will perform the surgery, with the assistance of a scrub nurse / technician while a circulating nurse oversees your entire care to ensure overall safety. With the advances in new technology many surgical procedures have become less invasive.

While you are in surgery your family will receive updates on the length or progress of your surgery. Once your surgery is complete the surgeon will go and speak to your family. The anesthesia provider will see that you awaken safely and take you on a stretcher to the postanesthesia care unit.

• Pre-anesthetic Interview/Testing
• What to Expect on the Day of Surgery
• Preoperative Holding Area
• What to Expect in the Operating Room
• What to Expect in the Postanesthesia Care Unit
• Admission to a Facility
• Outpatient Surgery
• What to Expect if You Are Going Home on the Day of Surgery
• Pain Management