What Will Happen the Day of Your Surgery

The Day of Spine Surgery at Swedish

Your safety is our priority.

Our goal is to make you feel safe and secure while you are in our hospital. Every member of our staff is dedicated to:

• Providing you with a safe, healthy and secure environment.
• Performing their jobs carefully and competently.
• Using safe and effective practices and technologies.
• Responding to your wants and needs in a timely manner.
• Ensuring timely communications between caregivers and patients by answering questions about your treatment and your health, providing you with specific information about your care and explaining changes about your treatment.

Admission

You are expected to come to the hospital two hours before your scheduled surgery time. Enter the hospital through the main entrance at 501 East Hampden at the circle drive. Free valet parking is available 8am to 5pm weekdays, and free parking is available across the street in the South Garage.

If you have pre-registered, you may proceed directly to the Surgery Waiting Room on the 3rd floor. Otherwise, check in at the Admissions Department in the lobby. You will need to provide your insurance card and a picture ID. Admissions personnel will instruct you on where to go next in your preparation for surgery.

Pre-Op Holding Area

The Pre-Op Holding Area is within the surgery area. Because of space restrictions, only one family member may accompany you. Anyone else that is with you will be taken to the surgery waiting room.

In Pre-Op Holding, the nurses will do a nursing physical assessment then scrub the skin over the surgical area and start an intravenous (IV) line in your arm. Blood may be drawn for the last step in preparing blood for possible transfusion. This needs to be done even if you have donated your own blood. You will also meet the anesthesiologist and discuss your anesthesia plan. Medications might be started, including antibiotics. A simple monitor placed on your finger will measure the oxygen in your blood. Finally, the skin over your surgical area may be shaved. A pre-surgical prep will be done with an antibacterial solution.

Operating Room

The nurse that will be with you during your surgery will come to the Pre-Op Holding area to meet you. When everyone is ready, you will be taken to the Operating Room. Now you are in the care of your surgeon, the anesthesiologist and the operating room nurses.

After surgery, you will recover in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)>>