Preparing for surgery

Your doctor has chosen HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital for your upcoming procedure. Please be assured that our highly skilled staff will provide you with individualized care and attention in a warm and comfortable setting. We strongly encourage you to ask questions if you do not understand any procedures or guidelines for your surgery.

If you have any questions, you may call the Surgical Services Department at (941) 342-2260.

For your preadmission testing appointment:

• Your preadmission testing will be done in our Medical Office Building, next door to the main hospital
• You will not come to the main hospital entrance for pretesting
• The address is 5741 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, FL 34233
• When you arrive on the hospital campus follow the signs for the Medical Office Building
• The building entrance faces Cattlemen Road
• Parking:
  • FREE Valet Parking is available Monday-Thursday 8:00 am- 4:00 pm and Fridays 8:00am- Noon
  • You may also park near the building

• Enter through the large sliding glass doors under the portico
• The Preadmission Testing Department is in Suite 130, on the first floor just past the elevators

If you are having orthopedic surgery, join us for a pre-surgery class. We want you to feel comfortable before your upcoming procedure and have all your questions answered. Our nursing team and physical therapists will prepare you and your family or support person for your surgical experience and recovery process. Come and get your questions answered.

Classes are held every Wednesday morning at 9:00am.

For your convenience, here is a checklist to help you prepare for surgery:

• Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before your operation. Otherwise, your surgery may be postponed or cancelled. Non-compliance could cause serious complications.
• Refrain from smoking after midnight the day before your surgery.
• Bathe completely and wash your hair. This helps to remove germs from your body.
• Remove all make-up and jewelry before coming to the hospital.
• Wear simple, loose-fitting clothes.
• Leave money, credit cards, jewelry and other valuables at home.
• Please bring your insurance card(s). This will facilitate the admitting process.
• Bring a list of medications and dosages you are currently taking.
• You may take your daily prescription medication(s) on the morning of your surgery with a sip of water only. However, do not take diabetic medications; just bring them with you. Please ask if you have questions about your medications.
• Bring a container for your dentures, eyeglasses or contact lenses if needed.
• Please arrange for an adult to drive you home and, if possible, stay with you for the night following the surgery.

• Your surgeon or anesthesiologist may feel it is necessary for you to see your medical physician to be cleared for surgery.
• You should expect a call from a nurse the day before your surgery to tell you your arrival time. If you do not receive a call by midafternoon, you can call 941-342-2260
• Please notify your surgeon if you become ill with a cold or fever the day before your operation or if you have a temperature of 100 degrees or higher. If you suspect that you may be pregnant, please notify your surgeon.

• Upon arrival, please enter through the main hospital entrance or Emergency Room entrance and proceed to registration.
• You will be directed to the Surgical Services Department, where you will be interviewed by a nurse and asked to sign a consent for surgery. If the patient is a minor, this form must be signed by a parent or legal guardian; proof of guardianship will be required.
• After your interview, you will be asked to change into a hospital gown and wait on a surgical stretcher. At this time, your family member or friend will be asked to go to the waiting area or front lobby.
• An anesthesiologist may administer medications to you through an intravenous (IV) catheter. After the surgery, the IV will allow the nurse to give you fluids until you are able to drink, as well as administer pain medication if needed. You will be asked to describe your pain on a 0 to 10 scale, 10 being the worst possible pain. The IV will stay in place until just before you are discharged.

• After your surgery, you will be moved to our fully equipped Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), also known as the Recovery Room, where you will remain under close observation.
• The amount of time spent in the Recovery Room varies from patient to patient but typically is one to two hours.
• When you are ready to leave, a representative will escort you in a wheelchair to your car.
• The Surgical Services Department will provide you with a written summary of your surgeon’s post-operative instructions regarding diet, rest and medications. Since it is normal to feel drowsy after receiving an anesthetic, the following activities should be postponed for 24 hours after discharge:
  • Driving and operating equipment
  • Signing important documents
  • Making significant decisions
  • Drinking alcoholic beverages
  • Taking any drugs without your physician’s approval