What happens on the day of surgery?
[back to top] Closer to your surgery time you will be brought in to the laser suite and placed in a reclining chair. You will be dressed with a hat and booties. Your eyelids will be cleansed with a betadine solution. There are no shots or needles involved in these procedures. At the time of treatment, you will be centered underneath the laser and given instructions as to where to look and what to do during the procedure. The actual treatment time is very brief and lasts only about five minutes per eye. Our staff will do all that is possible to make your surgery experience a pleasant one. Post-operatively, a plastic shiled will be placed over the surgery eye(s) to protect them during your initial recovery. We will ask you to keep both eyes closed for the rest of the day. You may open your eyes slightly to eat and use the restroom. The best remedy for a speedy recovery is to get as much rest as possible.
Every day at CARE Center there are scheduled surgeries as well as emergencies that require our surgeons’ expertise. As a result, that day’s surgery schedule may not be known until that morning. Even then it may change if a critical case is presented. So we will not be able to give you a definitive time that your pet’s surgery will be performed. We can say that if your pet is scheduled for surgery on that day, it will get done that day (with very rare exceptions). Our surgeons are here until all cases are operated, even if this is at 11pm or later. The surgeon will call you after surgery is completed, so please let us know what is the best phone number to use. The doctor will also then discuss with you the plans for the rest of your pet’s hospitalization, including care and length of stay.
You will report to the transplant unit, where you will change into a hospital gown and will undergo final blood tests and X-rays. The transplant coordinator, nurses and doctors will get you ready for the surgery. You will be given some medications and taken to a pre-operative holding area where you will wait for the final word to proceed from the lung harvesting team. You will then be taken to the operating room. After the appropriate form of anesthesia is administered, surgery will be performed.
It is important that you know precisely what time you are to check in with the surgical facility, and that you allow sufficient preparation time. Bring all papers and forms with you including any preoperative orders and history sheets. You should wear comfortable loose fitting clothes which do not have to be pulled over the head. Leave all jewelry and valuables at home. Remove all make-up with a cleansing cream. Thoroughly wash your face with soap and water. Do not apply make-up or cream to your face. Do not take any medication unless instructed by your doctor or the anesthesiologist. Usually in the pre- operative holding room, a nurse will start an intravenous infusion line (IV) and you may be given a medication to help you relax. What happens during surgery? In the operating room, the anesthesiologist will usually use a mixture of a gas and an intravenous medication to put you to sleep and to maintain your anesthetic at a safe and comfortable level. During the procedure, you will be
If you will be going to sleep for the surgery, you probably won’t be able to eat breakfast. That’s because having food – or even water – in your stomach can make it dangerous to give you anesthesia. You’ll be told ahead of time what you can and can’t eat or drink. After the operation, your doctor will give you the green light to eat and drink again. You may be given some special medicine to drink just before you go into the operating room and go off to sleep. This medicine is to help make you feel very relaxed. Your mom or dad will be able to stay with you until it’s time for surgery. Sometimes, parents can even be there while their kid gets the anesthesia. But parents can’t stay in the operating room. They’ll wait in a waiting room until it’s finished. Your doctor will probably talk to them as soon as the surgery’s done to tell them that it’s over and you’re now in the PACU.
