24 Hours Before Surgery

Food

It’s simple. Stop at midnight. Even if you are not undergoing general anesthesia, you must make sure that you have not eaten any food in the eight hours prior to your procedure. Violating this rule is dangerous and will very likely result in the postponement or cancelation of your procedure.

Since scheduling changes can occur, we recommend that every patient stop eating food at midnight the day prior to their procedure. If you require some form of carbohydrate overnight, clear liquid electrolyte beverages like Pedialyte or Gatorade, or clear juices are acceptable so long as they are not consumed within two hours of the scheduled procedure. Coffee is also okay, so long as no cream or creamer substitutes are used.

Hydration

Nothing complex here. Avoid alcohol and large amounts of caffeine. Find a clear, hydrating beverage you like and enjoy plenty of it. Proper hydration is important. You wouldn’t prepare for a marathon without drinking something — surgery is the same. We recommend that all of our patients stay well-hydrated while preparing for and recovering from surgery. Here’s what you can do:

• On the evening before your surgery, consider pre-hydrating by drinking 16oz of your hydrating beverage of choice.

• On the morning of your surgery, plan on drinking another 16oz — just make sure you finish drinking it at least 2-3 hours before your scheduled procedure time.

• Your goal isn’t to overdo it — but you want to remain properly hydrated. Your urine should be a pale yellow color, you shouldn’t feel light headed upon standing, and your skin should feel normal.

Smoking

In a perfect world, we could get everyone to quit smoking. In reality, if you can quit for a few days ahead of surgery, you’ll be better off. We all know it’s bad for you. But it’s very bad in terms of potential survival complications.

Smoking impairs your immune system, which significantly increases your risk of infection and poor or delayed wound healing (bad things, particularly after surgery). After most surgical procedures, an infection or delayed healing can greatly reduce your chance of a successful, or even satisfactory, outcome.

While we strongly encourage you to stop smoking at least 4 weeks before your surgical procedure, even avoiding tobacco and marijuana the day of your procedure can improve your likelihood of a great outcome.

Simply put, if you can quit a month before your procedure, do it! And if not, definitely don’t smoke on the day of your procedure.

Medications

If you take prescription medications, we will help you understand which medications you should and should not take on the evening before and the day of your surgery. To make it easiest for our physicians to provide you with accurate recommendations, please activate your account with PatientReady (https://patientready.app/start) to securely share your medications and allergies with our team.

Relaxation and State of Mind

Some simple relaxation techniques can be very helpful in calming the mind and body. Whether it’s meditation, mindfulness, or something like yoga, getting yourself in a good place is a good thing. While the stress of an upcoming procedure can be heavy, we want you to know that your team is dedicated to getting you back to 100% as quickly and safely as possible. We care about you, your recovery, and your state of mind.