Pre-Operative Instructions: Before General Anesthesia

Before Your Surgery

If you have been scheduled to have general anesthesia, it will be imperative that you follow these instructions. Failure to do so could be life-threatening, and your appointment will be rescheduled if these instructions are not followed. If you have questions about these instructions, please call our office.

• You may not have anything to eat or drink for 8 hours prior to surgery. Surgery appointments will be rescheduled if these instructions are not implicitly followed. If you have questions about this, please call the office prior to your scheduled appointment.
• We will attempt to schedule anesthesia for children in the early morning so that enforcement of the fasting requirement is not burdensome for parents.
• If you are taking prescription medications for other medical reasons, these may be taken at their normal times with small sips of water.
• When you have general anesthesia, a responsible adult who is over the age of 18 must accompany you to the office, remain in the office during the procedure, and drive you home. This person should also be able to stay with you for several hours once you get home and situated after surgery. We also require a driver to bring you to your surgery appointment if you have been given pre-operative medications to take at home.
• Please do not wear lipstick, contact lenses, facial jewelry of any kind, pantyhose, or high-heeled shoes to your appointment. Please tie hair back away from your face. Please wear a short-sleeved shirt or blouse. Please remove all dark fingernail polish for our monitoring equipment.
• If you develop lung or nasal congestion, the flu, a cold, or a fever, please advise us a few days before your surgery.
• The use of alcohol or recreational drugs can have an adverse effect on the anesthesia medications that we use. Please discontinue the use of such for at least 72 hours prior to your procedure.
• Ideally, stop smoking 24 hours prior to surgery.