Patient Information Welcome! Thank you for choosing to have your procedure at the
Fond du Lac Surgery Center. It is our mission to assure you have a caring, compassionate and safe surgical experience.
Prior to Surgery
The Fond du Lac Surgery Center admission process starts when your physician or other healthcare provider schedules your procedure. The physician’s office provides our center with preliminary information about you and your procedure, selects a date and time, and may arrange for any required pre-operative testing. We will use an interdisciplinary approach to get to know you better and ensure you will have an excellent surgical experience with us.
During your pre-operative appointment at the physician’s office, he/she will complete and provide you with paperwork in a patient packet, which you will need to bring to the center, during your pre-operative visit or on the day of surgery. Inside the packet will be your list of pre-operative instructions, which you will need to read and follow to be fully prepared for your procedure. There may also be a physician order form, which will require you to go to our laboratory to have your pre-operative testing completed.
Pre-operative testing may consist of blood tests, an EKG (electrocardiogram) or CXR (chest X-ray.) It is important to have your pre-operative testing as soon as possible after you are scheduled for surgery to ensure the results are received at our facility. (Be sure to take your order form to the laboratory.) Depending on your general health, your physician or other healthcare provider may require you to have a medical clearance from your internist or cardiologist.
Each patient will receive a pre-admission screening. There are two ways our staff may perform this assessment. You may receive a telephone call from our clinical staff, or you could be asked to come to the Fond du Lac Surgery Center for a pre-operative appointment. During this appointment you will be asked to complete a self-assessment history form and meet one of our nursing staff and/or a member of our anesthesia care team. They will review your health history and discuss specific preparations for your procedure, answer any questions you may have and confirm your time of arrival on the day of surgery. If you have not had contact from our staff by noon on the day prior to your procedure, please call the Fond du Lac Surgery Center at (920) 926-5900 and request to speak with the pre-assessment nurse. It is also important that you arrange for someone to drive you home and be with you during your recovery at home.
Day of Surgery
On the day of your surgery, you will arrive at the Fond du Lac Surgery Center one to two hours prior to your procedure, depending on the time confirmed by our staff. You will be greeted by our receptionist who will verify your demographic information, take a copy of your insurance card/s and apply an identification band on your wrist. You and your family member/s will be asked to have a seat in our family room until the nurse takes you to the pre-operative area.
In the pre-operative area, you will be asked to remove all clothing, including undergarments (depending on your surgery) and jewelry. The staff will provide you with a gown, slippers and a cap that you will wear during your stay with us. Your belongings will be placed in a bag that will have your name on it and kept in a secure location. Dentures, hearing aids, glasses and contact lenses may be removed just prior to entering the operating room. During some procedures, you may be permitted or even required to keep these items with you.
Our nursing staff will discuss your medical and surgical history, take your blood pressure, pulse and temperature. They will ask you when was the last time you had anything to eat or drink and if you have any allergies. The staff will also check to see if you have any special needs and will try to ensure those will be met. Our staff will explain what you and your family members should expect during your stay with us.
Throughout your stay, the staff will be teaching and communicating with you and your family members so everyone will feel comfortable, especially with continuing your care and recovery at home. If there is a change in the operating room schedule, this will be communicated to you and your family member as quickly as possible. We strive to keep an on-time schedule, however circumstances may arise that will sometimes cause us to have an unavoidable delay. It is advisable for your family to bring something to read while waiting in the family room since the wait may be two hours or more before your family may join you in our recovery area.
Prior to going to the operating room, you will be asked to verify and/or sign a surgical consent form. A member from our anesthesia care team will review your health history and provide you with appropriate anesthesia options. The registered nurse from the operating room will come to talk with you in the pre-operative area and verify all the information that has been obtained up to this point.
An intravenous line will be started in your arm and you may be given some IV medication prior to entering the operating room. You will be transferred to the operating room, where you will be introduced to the surgical team. You will transfer to a narrow operating room bed where monitoring equipment will be applied to your chest and a finger to help the surgical team observe your heart rate, blood pressure and the oxygen level in your blood. Safety devices will be used to keep you safe, comfortable and secure while on the operating room bed.
Anesthesia
Outpatient surgical procedures are performed with general anesthesia, monitored anesthesia, and epidural or regional blocks. Our anesthesia care team consists of anesthesiologists (MDs) and nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) who are experienced in providing anesthesia to patients who will go home the same day. They will review your personal history and review the options they feel will be best for you, depending on your medical history and your procedure. You will have the opportunity to ask any question you may have as well as provide information that may be important to your care (e.g. family history relative to anesthesia and any issues you have had with past experiences). Following your surgery, the anesthesia care team will continue to monitor the progress of your recovery, up until the time you are discharged home.
Recovery (PACU)
When your surgery is completed, you will be taken to our Phase 1 recovery area (PACU) if you have had general anesthesia; or Phase 2, if you have had IV sedation and you are awake enough to sit in a reclining chair. This is the area where your family members will join you and can remain with you until it is time for you to go home.
When you arrive in the Phase 1 recovery area, you will probably not be fully awake and it may seem like a flurry of activity. The surgical team will give a report of what you have experienced during surgery to the recovery room nurse. She/he will perform an initial assessment and will place some monitoring equipment on you that will be familiar from the operating room. An automatic blood pressure cuff will be applied to your arm and take your blood pressure every five minutes. You will be frequently asked about your pain level from one to 10, with 10 being the most painful.
If you had general anesthesia, you may have an oxygen cannula in your nose or a mask on your face for a period of time until you are more awake. It is important to take frequent deep breaths when the nurses remind you. The average time in the Phase 1 recovery is from 1 to 1 ½ hours. You will remain on a stretcher until you are awake, your blood pressure, pulse and respirations are stable and your pain level is controlled. Then you will be transported to the Phase 2 recovery area and assisted into a reclining chair. Your family or caregiver may be with you now. You will have some light nourishment, water, juice or crackers, and maybe an oral pain medication. You will then begin the process for discharge home.
Discharge Home
The nurses in Phase 2 recovery will discontinue your IV and assist you with getting dressed. You may be assisted to the bathroom to check your dressings and start the teaching you will need to continue your care at home. Your discharge instructions will be reviewed with you and your family member or caregiver. Your physician or other healthcare provider may also provide you with additional instructions specific to your procedure. You will have an opportunity to ask questions so you can be very prepared to continue your care at home. When you are ready to go home you will be taken by wheelchair to your car.
Our nursing staff will phone you the day following your surgery to make sure you are doing well and answer any questions you may have. They will also ask if you were pleased with the care you received and if you have any suggestions for us. Upon discharge, you may be given a patient satisfaction survey that we encourage you to complete. With your feedback we are able to continually improve the way we care for our patients. Your thoughts are very important to us.
We thank you for choosing the Fond du Lac Surgery Center and giving us the opportunity to serve you.
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