Surgical Services

Your surgeon's office will schedule your procedure with the St. George Regional Hospital Surgical Services or St. George Regional Health and Performance Center Outpatient Surgical Center scheduling staff. You will be contacted by a representative from hospital registration and by a nurse from pre-admission within 1-3 days before your surgery date.

The registration representative will: Ask for your birth date, insurance numbers, and other finance-related questions.

A nurse will: Obtain a health history and ask health-related questions pertaining to your medications, allergies, and previous illnesses and surgeries. Give instructions related to medications you are taking, provide information about the admission process and instructions on what time you are to stop eating and drinking prior to you procedure.

You will receive a call the afternoon of the business day before your surgery day with the time to check in to Surgical Services on the day of your surgery. You may need to have labs drawn the day before your surgery. Check with your physician for instructions on where and how to appropriately take care of the lab draws. Notify your surgeon if you have any changes in your health condition including cough, fever, or sore throat. 

If you have not been contacted by the hospital within 2 days prior to your surgery date, please call Registration at 435-251-1091. We are open Monday – Friday between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm

General Preparation
Be sure to give your surgeon information about all other physicians you are seeing and all medications you take, including aspirin and other nonprescription medications such as vitamins and supplements. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (such as Ibuprofen) and aspirin tend to decrease blood-clotting abilities. Follow your surgeon’s instructions for discontinuing these and herbal medications prior to surgery. It is extremely important that you follow the instructions given to your by your surgeon and the pre-admission nurse regarding eating, drinking liquids, and taking your medications. If you do not following these instructions your surgery may be cancelled for your safety.

What Not to Bring
• Valuables
• Jewelry (remove all body piercings)
• Watches
• Money

Bring the Following
• Photo identification
• Insurance card or insurance information
• Any cash or credit card payment for co-pays
• List of medications (including dosages)
• Dentures, eyeglasses with case, contact lenses with case, hearing aid with case
• Advanced Directive, if you have one C-PAP
• Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing.

Arriving at the Hospital
We allow two visitors to be with each patient. We ask that no children under the age of 12 come with you. Visitors will wait in the waiting room during your procedure. If the patient is a minor, the parent/guardian must remain in the facility at all times. For safety and privacy of our patients, family members are not allowed to accompany patients to the operating room or post anesthesia care unit. We encourage your family to ask questions and participate in your care.

On the day of your surgery, please arrive on time at the arrival time provided by the Surgical Services receptionist. Patient/visitor parking is available on the west side of the hospital and the east side of the Health and Performance Center with a shuttle available between the two buildings. Free valet parking is also available at the front entrance of both the hospital and Health and Performance Center. St. George Regional Surgical Services is located on 2nd floor at the Northwest side of the St. George Regional Hospital building by the flagpole at 1380 East Medical Center Drive. The St. George Regional Ambulatory Surgical Center is located on the 2nd floor of the Health and Performance Center, located 652 South Medical Center Drive.

Pre-op
You will be escorted by a receptionist from the waiting area to a pre-op room where you will change into a hospital provided gown. You will be asked to remove all jewelry, contact lenses, dentures, glasses, and any prosthesis prior to surgery. A nurse and certified nursing assistant will collect vital signs, review your health history, start an IV, and answer any questions you may have. You will wait in the pre-op room for an anesthesiologist and your surgeon before going into the surgery suite. They will answer any questions you may have about your surgery and anesthesia. We work to keep this wait to a minimum, but depending on the number of surgeries the wait may be longer.

You can expect a high level of care and attention from the surgeon when it is time for your surgery. We recommend you not plan anything else on your surgery day so you have time to recover.

After surgery you will recover initially in the first phase post anesthesia care area where a nurse will closely monitor your pain, breathing patterns, vital signs, etc. You may be aware of monitors and tubes such as an intravenous catheter (IV), oxygen or drainage tubes as you wake up. You may feel dizziness, drowsiness, and sometimes nausea after anesthesia. It is also normal to feel discomfort at the surgical site. Once initial recovery criteria have been met, you will be transferred to the second phase post op area or your hospital room where your family members/significant others will be able to be with you until you are ready for discharge. If you are having same-day surgery, a post-op nurse will continue to monitor you until you are ready for discharge.

Pain
Your nurses and doctors work with you to help make you as comfortable as possible. Communication with your healthcare team is vital to getting the best pain relief. Both drug and non-drug treatments can be beneficial in controlling and reducing your pain. Many people combine 2 or methods to get greater relief. Do not worry about getting addicted to pain medications. Studies show it is very rare and that you will stop taking the pain medications when you are no longer experiencing pain. Diet Your surgeon will determine when you are able to start drinking and eating. Your diet will advance from liquids to solids based on your surgical procedure and bowel activity. Please inform the pre-admission nurse who calls you prior to surgery if you have any food allergies or intolerances.

Preparing to Go Home
The length of your hospital stay will depend on your type of surgery and your physical condition. Due to advances in medical practices and changes in health insurance, many patients are able to go home sooner after surgery. Your surgeon and health care team will plan your discharge with you. We encourage your family to ask questions and participate in your care. This will assist them in feeling comfortable helping you once you are home.

Discharge
You will receive a packet with specific instructions from your surgeon, as well as instructions from the hospital when you are discharged to go home. The nurse will go over these instructions with you before you leave and answer any of your questions. If you have not already received prescriptions prior to the day of surgery from your physician, you will be given prescriptions from your surgeon by your post-op nurse. The person driving you home will need to be prepared to get the prescriptions filled. You will be given a ride in a wheel chair to your vehicle at the time of discharge. You will need a responsible adult to drive you home. We recommend you have someone with you for 24 hours after you return home.

At Home
• Do not do any exercise until your surgeon says it is okay.
• Do not do any activities that require alertness, balance, coordination, or judgment for the first 24 hours after surgery.
• Do not shower or take a bath until your doctor says it is okay.
• Do not drive or operate equipment for at least 24 hours after you go home.
• Do not make important decisions or sign legal papers for at least 24 hours after you go home.
• Put an ice pack on your surgery site as instructed by your surgeon.
• Follow specific instructions from your surgeon.

Contact the surgeon's office if
• The arm or leg that was operated on turns blue, feels cold to the touch, is numb or tingles, and you did not have a nerve block.
• You have signs of infection including increased pain, unusual drainage, redness or swelling, foul odor, fever over 101 degrees F.
• You think you’re having a reaction to the medicine.
• You continue to feel sick to your stomach, you are throwing up, and you can’t keep liquids down or have signs of dehydration (dry mouth, very little urine that is dark colored, and no tear).
• You are not able to urinate (pee) 12 hours after surgery.

Call 911 if
• You have chest pain or heaviness in the chest.
• You can’t catch your breath or have a hard time breathing.
• Your face is drooping or you have weakness in your arm or changes in speech.
• You can’t wake up the person you are caring for. (Check on them every 1 to 2 hours during the first 24 hours. They may be tired or sleepy but should be easy to wake up.)
• A nurse from the hospital or surgery center will attempt to call you 1-2 business days after surgery to ask how you are doing.

Can I eat or drink anything past 11pm before surgery?
We need to have your stomach as empty and free from acid before surgery. The acid in your stomach can be especially dangerous while you are under anesthesia. Before the day of surgery, do no eat solid food or drink milk products after 11pm. Unless otherwise instructed by your surgeon or pre-admit nurse, you may sip clear liquids up to 2 hours before arrival. However, certain medical conditions and procedures do not allow it.  

What medications do I take?
The pre-admit nurse and your physician/surgeon will let you know which medications are safe to take the day of surgery. Some medications are not safe to take when having anesthesia. Follow the instructions you are given, closely. DO NOT take any other medications unless directed by your physician.

What if I have special needs: disability, language, etc.?
We will work with you to take care of any need you may have. Interpretation services are free and available 24 hours a day.

Should someone come with me?
We allow two visitors to be with each patient. We ask that no children under the age of 12 come with you. Visitors will wait in the waiting room during your procedure. You will need a responsible person to drive you home following your procedure. We recommend you have someone with you for 24 hours after you return home from surgery.

Please note: The person/s accompanying patient may need to wait for a long time. If your child is having surgery, you will be asked to remain in the waiting the entire time the child is in our care. Visitors or family members who will be waiting the entire time in the waiting room may want to bring snacks to eat while waiting, especially for those surgeries at the HPC building, where the cafeteria is not readily accessible.

What should I bring with me?
Please bring the following: