On the morning of your scheduled surgery, follow your instructions for the use of antiseptic wipes. Also make sure you:
- Brush your teeth and rinse your mouth
- Take your medications as directed by your doctors with small sips of water
- Do not eat or drink anything
- Put on ID bracelet
When you arrive at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, use the free valet parking by driving up to the main entrance of the hospital (continue straight ahead on the main driveway as you enter the campus from Scotch Road). When you enter the building, go to the Pre and Post Op area on the second floor using the blue elevators. If you need a wheelchair or assistance, please stop at the information desk just inside the doors in the Lobby. Someone there will be able to assist you.
Once you arrive at the Pre and Post Op area, your CarePartner and any other guests will be asked to remain in the Pre and Post Op family waiting area, where they will be able to track your progress using our “tracking board.”
You will be brought to a private area where you will be given a hospital gown and asked to remove any clothing, jewelry, piercings, hair pieces and wigs, contact lenses, glasses and hearing aides. For patient safety, you will be asked several times prior to your surgery for your name, birth date, doctor, type of surgery, and side of surgery. Your blood pressure, pulse and temperature will be monitored.
You will also meet with your surgeon and the anesthesiologist. Your surgeon will talk to you about the type of anesthesia that is best for you. Your options could include general anesthesia, spinal or epidural anesthesia, or regional anesthesia. After answering any questions that you may have, our surgical care team will prepare to bring you to the operating room (for more information about the operating room, please refer to the pre-admission testing packet and “A Guide to Your Surgery”).
After the surgery is finished, you will be brought to the recovery room where you will be continually monitored by a registered nurse. Your anesthesiologist will decide when you are able to go to the surgical care unit, which is located on the fourth floor of the Mercer Tower (the Marjorie G. Ernst Joint Replacement Center of Excellence at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell ). Your CarePartner will be informed when you are moved from the recovery room to your room on the surgical care unit and will be provided with your room number.