Pre-Op Knee Surgery
Total Knee Replacement Guide Home | Preparation for Your Knee Surgery | Pre-Admission Testing | Pre-Op | Post-Op | Discharge | FAQ
On the morning your surgery is scheduled, go to the main entrance where the big information desk is located. The first set of offices to the left is admitting. It will take about 10 minutes to register. An escort volunteer will bring you to the Same Day Unit.
At the Same Day Unit you will be asked to remove:
- All jewelry except your wedding ring which will be taped to your finger
- Any dentures or partial plates
- Contact lenses and eyeglasses
- Hair pieces
- All cosmetics and nail polish (best to remove the night before)
You will be asked to put on a hospital gown. The nurse will take your vitals—temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rates. An IV nurse will place an intravenous catheter (IV) in your arm (for approximately 24 hours). The nurse on the unit will usually cap the IV the next day after you have eaten.
Your staff doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of surgery and have you sign a consent form. The correct surgical site will be marked with a green marker at this time. The anesthesiologist will discuss types of anesthesia: General, with various inhaled and injectable medications to make you sleep; or Regional or Spinal, medicines injected in your low back to numb you from the waist down. If you choose a Regional or Spinal anesthesia, you have the option of being awake or asleep. A "nerve block" may also be used.
Once you have signed your consent for anesthesia and are ready to go to the operating room (OR), your anesthesia team (anesthesiologist or certified nurse anesthetist), will give you various medications which will make you feel relaxed and comfortable.
To prevent a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) a nurse will put a thigh-high support stocking (TED) on your non-operative leg and use sequential compression stockings (SCD). These produce a leg massage to improve the circulation of blood back to your heart. You will wear these while in bed and at night. You will not be going home with them but we will provide an extra pair of TEDs to take home. These will continue to help prevent blood clots and decrease swelling. They are to be worn as much as possible until your first post-op visit—approximately four to six weeks after surgery. You may remove them at night if they interfere with your sleep.
An orderly will then take you on a stretcher to the operating room (OR).
After induction of your anesthesia, the OR nurse will place a urinary catheter in your bladder to monitor your input and output of fluids. It will be removed in approximately two days when you will be able to get up to use the bathroom or a commode.
