Preoperative Planning Information

Please consider the following recommendations and guidelines as a beneficial resource to help see you through your surgery and aftercare in an effort to optimize the final result.

The Preoperative staff at the hospital need time to get you settled, ask you necessary questions, start IVs, etc. This is absolutely necessary and takes time; therefore, you will need to arrive at the hospital no later than 90 minutes prior to your scheduled start time in the operating room. (ie, If your start time is 10:00 AM, you will need to arrive at 8:30 AM)

If you have any durable medical equipment that you know you will need to use postoperative (such as a cast boot, surgical sandal, crutches, walker, knee scooter, etc), please bring them with you to the surgery.

Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night prior to your surgery, or at least 10 hours before your upcoming surgery.

Cleanse your ENTIRE BODY daily with the antibacterial soap (Hibiclens®) starting one week prior to surgery; this reduces the bacterial load to your skin and ultimately helps reduce the risk of developing a postoperative infection.

Please consume vitamin supplements prior to your surgery.

Vitamin C should be started one week before surgery, (500 mg, three times a day)

Vitamin D3 (5,000 I.U. daily) should be started two weeks before if bone surgery is performed.

Please have all your preoperative evaluations, lab work, chest x-rays, EKG testing, etc. performed between 10-14 days before your surgery. You may have to schedule an appointment with your family physician for surgical clearance prior to your surgery. This is often necessary to assist not only the surgeon, but the Anesthesiologist in charge of your surgery.

Medications

You may be asked to take a blood thinning medication after your surgery. This may be called into your pharmacy prior to your surgery, but it is only for convenience….. DO NOT TAKE ANY BLOOD THINNER before your surgery). This is only to be used after the surgery. You should stop taking blood thinner before surgery; however, the day you stop may vary, and you will be informed of this critical piece of information by your physician.

Blood thinning medication may include:

Eliquis / Apixaban
Aspirin
Motrin / Ibuprofen / Aleve / Naproxen (NSAIDs that are over the counter)
Lovenox / Enoxaparin
Xarelto / Rivaroxaban
Heparin
Warfarin / Coumadin
Fondaparinux / Arixtra

Other Meds to be held prior to surgery:

Some medications can interact with anesthesia; therefore, you will need to take notice of any of the listed medications below and withhold the medication at the appropriate time. Below are a list of several common medications that need to be withheld prior to surgery.

Hold These Medications 7 Days Before Surgery

Dulaglutide (Trulicity®)
Semaglutide (Ozempic®, Wegovy®, Rybelsus®)
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®)
Bydureon DCise (Exenatide ER®)
Phentermine / Topiramate (Qsymia®)
Phentermine (Adipex®)
Benzphetamine
Aspirin
Diethylpropion (Tenuate®)
Orlistat (Alli®, Zennical®)

Hold These Medications 4 Days Before Surgery

Steglatro

Hold These Medications 3 Days Before Surgery

Jardiance®
Invokana®
Farxiga ®

Hold These Medications 24 Hours Before Surgery

Suboxone®
Zanaflex® (Tizanidine)
Robaxin® (Methocarbamol)
Flexeril® (Cyclobenzaprine)
Diruetics: (Furosemide, Lasix®, Bumetanide, Hydrochlorothiazide, etc)
Antihistamines: (Hydroxyzine, Atarax®, Vistaril®, Allegra®, Fexofenadine,
Benedryl®, Diphenylhydramine, Claritin®, Clarinex, Zyrtec®, Citirizine,
levocetirizine, Xyzal®)

Diabetic Patients:

Hold ALL Insulin & Diabetic Medications 12 Hours Before Surgery

Lantus®
Levemir®
Toujeo®
Tresiba®
Novolog®
Humalog®
Humalin®
Novolin®
Metformin
Glyburide
Glymepride
Amaryl®

If you have any questions regarding a medications you are taking, or believe you are taking a medication that fits the description of those listed above, but do not see the name in any of the above lists, then we would ask that you PLEASE CONTACT THE DOCTOR for clarification.