Reporting to the Hospital for Pre-Op Testing and Teaching

Pre-operative testing is very important for your safety and ensures that you are healthy enough to have surgery. This testing can uncover previously undiagnosed or concerning health issues that need to be treated before you can safely undergo anesthesia and have surgery.

You will receive a call from the pre-anesthesia nursing staff at Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital to schedule your testing and teaching session. (If you have have not received a phone call about your pre-op testing appointment at least one week before your scheduled surgery, please call Mary Immaculate Hospital at either 886-6648 or 886-6658). This will be conducted in a private consultation room on the first floor of the Surgical Pavilion. On your appointment day, make sure that you arrive at the hospital at your appointed time. Remember to take the following with you to the hospital:

• Your picture ID
• Your insurance card
• Consent forms or notes from OSC
• Any advance directives, living will or power-of-attorney documents.
• A written list of all medications you currently take, including vitamins and supplements. Include dosage amounts and how often you take the drugs.
• List of all allergies (drug, food, latex, etc.)

Upon entering Registration, a representative from Mary Immaculate Hospital will make a copy of your ID and insurance card. The nurse representative will pre-register you for your surgery so that there is less paperwork the day of your actual procedure. This will require a lengthy question and answer session, so be prepared. They will check their system for your surgical orders which will have been sent it by your OSC Surgical Scheduler and make sure that everything is in order. They will make sure that you know where and when to report the day of your surgery. They will also instruct you on the Anti-Infection Pre-Surgical Protocol that the hospital requires that you follow for the three days prior to any surgery.

You will then be taken to the Diagnostic Imaging Department or to the Lab for testing. The basic pre-op tests for spine surgery are:

• Chest x-ray – Lung Function
• EKG (Electrocardiogram) – Heart Health
• Blood Tests – For Hemoglobin, Infection and Major Organ Function
• Type and Screen – Blood Test for Blood Type (lumbar and thoracic surgeries)

If a problem is detected, you will be notified of the problem. If it is something that can be easily treated or that is not of consequence to the success of your procedure, you surgery will go on as planned. If the issue is more serious, your surgery may have to be postponed until the issue can be medically resolved. While this may be frustrating, it is much better to go into surgery being as healthy as possible, rather than taking a chance on the success of anesthesia and surgery with an active, serious health concern.

Return to Your Decision to Have Spine Surgery page.