This instructional video from Rutland Regional Medical Center has been prepared for you by our
surgical team to help make your surgery day and surgery recovery go as smoothly as possible and is
meant to supplement any additional instructional materials you have received. It is important for
you to follow the specific instructions from your surgeon's office. Included in the papers
you receive before your surgery is the patient personal history form. It is extremely important
that you complete this form and return it to the hospital in the self-addressed stamped envelope
provided as quickly as possible and before your surgery. If you have not received this form,
please contact the Ambulatory Care Unit or ACU at 802.747.1741. In your packet of materials,
you will have a pre-surgical booklet for you to review. It contains information on what you
can expect before and after your surgery. This is also where you'll find your surgery date,
as well as the phone number to call the Ambulatory Care Unit at 802.747.1741 to find out your arrival
time. You will make this call one business day prior to your surgery between the hours of 2pm
and 4pm. This packet also includes important instructions to follow before your surgery.
You must follow these instructions. Failure to follow these instructions may result in your
surgery being canceled. If you have any questions about these instructions, please call the ACU at
802.747.1741. Do not wear makeup, nail polish, jewelry, body jewelry or contact lenses. Do not
shave any areas to be operated on for at least 72 hours prior to your surgery. Stop diet medicines,
over-the-counter diet medicines, and all herbal medicines for at least one week prior to your
surgery. Surgery may be postponed if these instructions are not followed. Please report any
changes in your health to your surgeon, including colds, flu, infections or rashes. And finally,
and most importantly, do not eat anything at least eight hours prior to your arrival. You may have
clear liquids up to two hours before your arrival, unless otherwise instructed by your surgeon.
Unless otherwise instructed, the following are the only acceptable liquids you may drink – water,
ginger ale, cranberry juice, apple juice. Your surgery day has arrived you will enter the
hospital grounds via the Stratton Road entrance. Here you may be dropped off at the doors and walk
inside or you can park your car first in the visitor lot and walk to the entrance. If you
need assistance, you may press the “Help” button located on the far left of the double doors.
Someone will come out to help you. If you require a wheelchair, you will find them just inside the
doors on your left. Once inside, continue straight down the hall to the first intersection near the
Gift Shop and Retail Pharmacy. Here you make a left and you will see a bank of elevators on
your left. Once inside the elevator, press 2 for the second floor. Take a right out of the
elevators on the second floor, and walk straight to the end of the hallway into the Ambulatory
Care Unit or ACU. Just inside the waiting room, there is a check-in desk. The receptionist will
check you in and give you paperwork for you to review. Please pay special attention to
the accuracy of your contact information. Also at this time, your companion will be asked to
share their cell phone number so that they can be contacted once you are in recovery. Once your
paperwork is complete, an ACU nurse will bring you into the ACU and get you ready for surgery.
This is where you will be weighed and provide a urine sample, if necessary. You will change
into a hospital gown and place your belongings in a locker. Next, you are placed on a bed and given
a warm blanket. This is where you will wait your turn for surgery. At this point your companion may
come back and visit with you. You will have visits from several people who are a part of your surgery
and recovery team. This includes the ACU nurse who takes your temperature and blood pressure.
You will also receive your hospital identification bracelet. As a safety measure at various times
during your stay, you will be asked to confirm your name and date of birth. If you require an IV,
it will be started at this time, as well. You will also be seen by your anesthesiologist and
your doctor who will discuss your options for anesthesia, including the possible need for a
nerve block. When it is time for your surgery, your companion will be asked to follow the blue
dots on the floor to the waiting room. If your surgery requires a nerve blocking agent, you will
receive that at this time. Now you are ready for surgery and into the operating room you go. Once
inside, you will be introduced to everyone who is part of your surgical team. You will
be given anesthesia, and the surgery will begin. You are in good hands. While you are in surgery,
your companion is welcome to go to the surgical waiting area. Here there are comfortable chairs
and sofas as well as complimentary coffee, free Wi-Fi, magazines to read and a TV to
watch. There is a Volunteer available to answer any questions or concerns that your companion
may have. Alternatively, staff members at the ACU check-in desk are happy to help,
as well. If your companion’s cell number was shared during check-in,
they may leave the second floor and explore other options on the first floor such as the Gift Shop,
Pharmacy and Meditation Room. Your companion may also visit our beautiful outdoor gardens and
walking paths. Our Food Court is also available on the first floor, where hot and cold drinks,
soups, salad, sandwiches, and more are available. Your surgery is now over, and you are wheeled into
the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit or PACU where you can safely recover from the anesthesia and slowly
begin to wake up. At this time, your companion is notified that you are in Recovery. The doctor
updates them on your surgery and details that might be helpful in recovery. If the plan is for
you to stay overnight, arrangements will be made for you to be moved to a hospital room. A nurse
will bring your companion to your bedside once you have moved from the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit to
the ACU. Here, your belongings will be returned to you; and when you can do so, you can get dressed
to go home. This is also when you will receive your discharge instructions that are specific to
your care and healing. It is important for your companion to be present for this so that they
can also hear the special instructions. You will receive these instructions in a printed packet to
take home with you and given prescriptions for any medications you will need. This would be a
good time for your companion to talk to your nurse about your medicine, which can be filled here at
the hospital or at your local pharmacy. Time to go home. A hospital Volunteer will come by
with a wheelchair and help get you to the carport area at the Stratton Road entrance. Once outside,
our Volunteer will wait with you while your companion gets the car. Once you are safely
inside the car, it's time to head home. At home, you and your companion should review and follow
the discharge instructions that were given to you by your nurse. If you have any questions, contact
your surgeon's office. You may also receive a follow-up phone call from a post-operative nurse.
Thank you for taking the time to watch this video about what to expect with your surgery
at Rutland Regional Medical Center. We look forward to taking care of you.