Most of the
procedures are performed on an
out-patient basis. We use several
different hospitals and surgical
center in and around the Texas
Medical Center for these
procedures. The instructions listed
below are meant as a general
guideline. They should not be used
instead of instructions that have
been given to you by your doctor.
Of course, if you have any questions
about these instructions, please
call your physician (713-795-0111)
prior to your scheduled surgery
date.
As a rule,
you should not eat or drink anything
after midnight prior to your
surgery; this includes taking most
medications. Exceptions to this rule
are as follows:
-
If you
take blood pressure medication,
take your morning dose prior to
your surgery with a sip of
water.
-
Children less than 4 years of
age can have clear liquids (e.g.
apple juice, water, etc.) up
to 2 a.m.
Diabetics
should not take their morning dose
of insulin.
Stop taking
aspirin or other non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs -
Motrin, Advil, Aleve, etc.) for
one week prior to your surgery.
A list of some of these medications
can be found at this link.
Medications, such as Coumadin,
should be stopped for 3 days prior
to your surgery.
Please
discuss with your physician any
medications that you are taking.
Make sure to discuss these
medications with your physician
prior to stopping or suspending any
medications.
Your doctor
will decide if you need any testing
prior to your surgery. This testing
might include blood test, chest
x-ray or EKG (electrocardiogram),
etc.
