We understand that surgery can be a daunting experience especially when this experience is new and unfamiliar. Rest assured, MAA will be actively participating in a comprehensive series of steps to optimize your safety and comfort. These steps begin with a pre-operative health screening; one of the nurses at our partnered facilities will call and ask you detailed questions about your medical history, including recent visits to your primary care physician or specialists. This allows our attending anesthesiologists to review your medical history, acquire any necessary lab work or testing, and custom tailor an anesthetic plan for your individual health needs.
On the day of surgery, once you have registered and checked-in with the front desk, you will be brought back to our pre-operative holding area. A pre-op nurse will measure your vital signs, review your medical history, start an IV, and give any pre-op medications that were ordered by your surgeon or anesthesiologist.
Shortly thereafter, you will meet an attending anesthesiologist will who will discuss your medical history and anesthetic plan with you. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, express your concerns, and address any adverse reactions you may have had in the past. You may also be introduced to one of our certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) or certified anesthesiology assistants (CAAs) as part of our Anesthesia Care Team. Together, CRNAs/CAAs and attending anesthesiologists are responsible for your well-being while you are in surgery. A member of the Anesthesia Care Team will be present during surgery at all times.
Your surgeon and operating room nursing staff will also speak with you to answer any last minute questions you might have before being proceeding to the operating room. After all the necessary medical personnel have spoken with you, an anxiolytic medication is often administered through your IV while you are transported to the surgical suite. You may not remember being transported to the operating room due to the amnestic and sedative effects of this medication.
Once your surgery is completed, our team will bring you to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit for a recovery period. As your anesthesia begins to wear off, you will be closely monitored for pain and any side effects that develop from your anesthesia and/or surgery. If you have been under general anesthesia, you may notice some discomfort in your throat by items we use to maintain safe breathing during your surgery. This discomfort should resolve within 1-3 days. Once you have sufficiently recovered from anesthesia, the recovery room nurses will give you discharge instructions and prescriptions. Subsequently, you will be discharged from the surgery center. One of the nurses will also be calling you the following day to see how you are recovering from your surgery.