After Surgery
After your surgery you will be taken to a recovery room, also known as the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). An expert staff of registered nurses who are specifically educated to monitor and care for you as you “wake up” from your anesthetic provide nursing care in this unit. An anesthesiologist and your surgeon will direct your care in this unit under the medical direction of the anesthesiologist in charge.
Use Guided Imagery to Aid Recovery
Just as you can use guided imagery and affirmations to prepare yourself for surgery, you can also use it to aid a faster recovery. Listen to imagery for healing.
Patients going home on the same day of surgery must meet established criteria before being discharged. The nature, extent, and duration of your surgery, as well as the type of anesthesia that you have had will affect the length of recovery from anesthesia.
Because very small concentrations of anesthetic and sedative agents may persist in your body for up to 24 hours it is important not to drive, operate dangerous machinery, or make major decisions for approximately 24 hours after your surgery.
Should you have any questions about your anesthetic care after you have left the hospital, please call the hospital operator at 707-393-4000, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and ask for the anesthesiologist on call. We have an anesthesiologist on duty round-the-clock to serve you.
Visitors for Inpatient Surgeries
If the patient is transferred to a bed on one of the nursing units after your surgery, you will be able to see your visitors after the transfer. As a rule, the surgeons make every effort to go to the waiting room after surgery to talk with you and answer your questions. A volunteer is usually in the waiting room to keep your family and friends informed of your progress. For your privacy and safety, we generally do not allow visitors in the post-anesthesia recovery area
Leaving the Hospital
At the time of discharge, you and the person driving you home will receive instructions for your ongoing care at home. A telephone number will be on the discharge instruction form to call if you have any questions. Please do not hesitate to call us if you have any questions. Please note that if you do not have a companion to drive you home, your surgery may need to be canceled and re-scheduled. If you do not have someone to drive you, read through this list of alternative transportation.
