After registering at the registration desk in the main lobby, the registration clerk will show you how to get to the family waiting room. Your surgical navigation liaison nurse will meet you in the family waiting room and bring you to the Surgical Admission and Discharge Unit (SADU).

The Surgical Admission and Discharge Unit

The SADU nurse will review your vital signs and reconfirm that you are ready for the surgery.

The nurse will also confirm that you have not had anything to eat or drink before the surgery, as previously instructed. The SADU nurse will help to alleviate any fears or anxieties you may have and will answer any questions. Depending on the type of surgery, you may have an intravenous line (IV) started or be given preoperative pain medication.

Please wear hospital-approved clothing to the operating room (OR). All jewellery must be removed and personal clothing/valuables will be secured in a locker.

You will be taken to the OR holding area to be met by your surgical team. The surgeon, nurse, and anaesthesiologist will do a final recheck of your paperwork and may ask many of the same questions that the SADU nurse has asked. Once the OR is prepared, the OR nurse will take you into the OR suite, where you will be introduced to any OR members that you have not yet met.

The operating room

You will be escorted by one of our registered nurses to your operating room. The room will have many different pieces of equipment to keep you safe. Monitoring equipment such as a blood pressure cuff will be used and an IV with warm saline will be started. You will hear the team completing safety checks including the Surgical Safety Checklist. Your anaesthesiologist will provide you with the type of anaesthesia you need and will constantly monitor you during your surgery. Once your surgery is complete, you will be transferred to the Post-Anaesthetic Discharge Unit (PADU).

The Post-Anaesthetic Discharge Unit

Here you will be greeted by a registered nurse who will stay with you and care for you as the anaesthetic clears your system. Our experienced nursing team will monitor your incision site and bandages and will make you as comfortable as possible while monitoring you for safety. Once you have recovered, you will be transferred to either the SADU or the Inpatient Surgery Unit to complete your recovery prior to going home.

After discharge

You can expect to receive a post-discharge telephone call in the days after you go home. You will also be informed of any follow-up appointments in our Surgical Wellness Clinic and our surgical clinics.