Pre-operative Care
Minimise your risk and optimise your outcome prior to surgery
To optimise the outcome of your surgery, please read through the following pre-operative checklist in the lead up to your surgery.
Perioperative physician
If you have complex medical history, you may be referred to see a perioperative physician in order to optimise your medical status and minimise any risks prior to your surgery. Investigations such as an ECG, echocardiogram or lung function tests may need to be organised prior to your surgery.
Medications and fasting status
You will be contacted the week prior to your surgery to confirm what medications you should withhold, when you should be fasting, and where you should arrive on the day of surgery.
Some of the medications that you may be asked to withhold include:
Immunomodulators e.g. Humira
Blood thinners e.g. Aspirin, Clopidogrel and Warfarin
Diabetic medications
In general, fasting should start at 12am the night before a surgery that is scheduled in the morning. Fasting should start at 6:30am for a surgery that is scheduled in the afternoon.
You will be asked to arrive at the hospital between 7am to 12pm on the day of surgery.
Skin preparation and minimising the risk of infection
Please wash the affected leg with the Chlorhexidine soap 3 days prior to your surgery with the last wash on the morning of surgery. This will help minimise the risk of infection.
This can be purchased from Chemist Warehouse
Contact us if you have any cuts, scrapes, or broken skin on the affected side before your surgery. These may increase the risk of surgical site infection, and it may be safer to postpone surgery in this situation.
Contact us if you have had a change in your health prior to surgery. Unexpected illness may increase the risk of anaesthetic and may warrant postponing the surgery.