Surgery: What to Expect
During Surgery
A special surgical team helps the surgeon with your surgery. This team usually includes:
- A surgical technician (scrub), who passes instruments to the surgeon.
- A Reference registered nurse Opens New Window, who helps in many ways and writes the details of your surgery in your medical chart.
- A nurse anesthetist or Reference anesthesiologist Opens New Window, who gives you medicines and monitors your vital signs.
- Other medical personnel, such as an Reference X-ray technologist Opens New Window, who may be needed for your surgery.
- Another surgeon to help your primary surgeon, if needed.
In university or teaching hospitals, doctors with different levels of surgical training may watch or help with your surgery. But your surgeon will be in charge.
The surgical team is trained to provide you with safe care during your surgery. Before they start, the team members will double-check your name, what type of surgery you are there for, and what part of your body is to be operated on.
Anesthesia
If you are having Reference general anesthesia Opens New Window, a breathing tube (Reference endotracheal tube Opens New Window) is placed in your windpipe or a special airway (laryngeal mask airway, or LMA) is placed in the back of your throat to help you breathe during the surgery. For more information, see the topic Reference Anesthesia.
Keeping things sterile
The place on your skin where the incision will be is washed with a special solution to remove bacteria. All instruments used during your surgery are sterilized to reduce your risk of infection.
Pain control
Pain control is an important concern. Near the end of your surgery, your surgeon may inject a long-acting pain medicine at the site of your surgery to decrease your pain for 6 to 12 hours after surgery.
In the recovery area
Right after surgery, you will be taken to a recovery area where nurses will care for and observe you. A nurse will check your vital signs and bandages. He or she will also ask about your pain level.
When you wake up, you may have a small tube just below your nose that supplies oxygen to your lungs.
You will most likely stay in the recovery area for 1 to 4 hours. Then you will be moved to a hospital room or you will go home. You may receive medicine or fluids through your vein (Reference intravenous, or IV Opens New Window) during your time in the hospital.
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