Mentor Hospital Surgery Guide

Preoperative Appointment

Before some procedures, your surgeon may have you visit our preoperative anesthesia consultation clinic (PACC).

During this visit, our team will go over your health history and talk through your surgery plan. Now’s a good time to ask questions and bring up any concerns. We may also do some tests, which could help lower the risk of complications during and after your procedure.

Before your appointment

We’ll do our best to schedule your preoperative visit, also known as a preoperative anesthesia consultation clinic (PACC), at a location close to you. In some cases, you may be able to see your surgeon on the same day, too. We may also decide if your PACC visit can be done as a virtual appointment.

To help your visit go smoothly, please bring:

A list of your current medications or the medications themselves
Copies of medical records from other health systems if you’ve received care elsewhere
Any recent test results, including imaging or heart tests like stress tests or electrocardiograms

What to expect at your PACC appointment

Our team will take time to go over your medical history and talk with you about any anesthesia you’ve had in the past.

Depending on what you need, you may also have some routine testing done during this visit, like:

In many cases, we’ll also complete your surgery admission interview and confirm your insurance details while you’re here. That way, there are fewer things to take care of later.

Preparing for Surgery

Now, you’re just a few days away from your surgery. Taking a few simple steps can help you get ready for your procedure and feel more confident when you arrive here that day.

Here’s what you need to do the day before and the morning of your procedure.

Medications

Take any approved medications with a small sip of water, as directed by your care team. If your surgeon has given you bowel prep instructions, be sure to follow those carefully.

Getting ready for your procedure

Please remove all nail polish before your surgery, along with tips or wraps from at least one fingernail on each hand. This allows us to accurately track your oxygen levels during your procedure.

We’ll mark the surgical site together before surgery, so there’s no need to mark your skin yourself before you head to the hospital.

If you get sick before surgery

Please contact your surgeon’s office as soon as possible if you develop any signs of illness within two days of surgery, including:

A cold
Persistent cough
Sore throat
Fever

Eating and drinking before surgery

Here are a few things you’ll need to do the day before surgery:

Don’t eat or drink after midnight the night before your surgery unless otherwise instructed by your doctor (this includes water, coffee, gum, mints and lozenges).
Don’t smoke before or after your surgery. Smoking may cause problems with anesthesia and increase carbon monoxide in the blood stream. Nicotine can also interfere with healing.
On the morning of surgery, you may brush your teeth, but please avoid swallowing any water.
Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before your procedure.

Eating and Drinking Before Surgery If You Take GLP-1

If you take a GLP-1 medication, you’ll need to follow different instructions before surgery.

Why these instructions matter

GLP-1 medications work by helping manage blood sugar and slowing how quickly food leaves your stomach. This makes you feel full sooner.

But before surgery, that slower digestion can mean food is still in your stomach even after fasting. During anesthesia, it can increase the chance of food entering your lungs. These instructions help reduce that risk.

On the day before surgery

Don’t eat any solid foods for the entire day before your procedure. Stick to clear liquids only for at least 24 hours before surgery. You may have:

Water
Clear juices like apple juice
Gatorade^®
Carbonate drinks, like Sprite^® or ginger ale (no colas or colored sodas)
Clear tea or black coffee (no cream)
Jell-O^®

Equipment You May Need After Surgery

Depending on your procedure, you may need help moving around while you recover. It’s a good idea to get mobility aids ahead of time so you can practice using them. These could include:

Cane
Crutches
Walker
Knee rollator

Not sure how to get these? Your surgeon’s office can help.

Understanding Advance Directives

Advance directives — a living will and a healthcare power of attorney — are legal documents. They help you share your wishes for medical care and name someone to make decisions if you’re unable to speak for yourself. Having them allows our care team to understand and follow your preferences even if you can’t voice them in the moment.

If you don’t have advance directives

Without advance directives, Ohio law outlines who can make decisions on your behalf. If a legal guardian is appointed, they’ll make decisions for you. If not, decisions are made by your closest family member in a set order.

In Ohio, that order is:

Legal guardian (if one has been appointed)
Spouse
Majority of adult children
Parents
Majority of adult siblings
Next closest relative

Confirming Your Insurance Coverage

Many insurance plans require pre-authorization before a hospital stay. To help avoid delays, please make sure we have your most up-to-date insurance information on file. You should also check with your insurance provider to make sure any required paperwork has been completed before your admission.

We’ll bill your insurance provider for services related to your care. You’ll get a bill from us for any remaining balance you plan didn’t cover.

If you have questions about your insurance approval, you can call our pre-authorization customer service office at 216.444.4811, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Before your surgery, one of our representatives will call you to complete financial registration and confirm your insurance details. If you prefer to take care of this ahead of time, you can call 216.442.2271.

You’ll need to attend an admissions interview before your surgery if you don’t have one during your PACC visit. The location will be listed on your schedule.

Confirming Your Arrival Time

We’ll call you between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. the day before your surgery to let you know your arrival time and where to go. If your procedure is scheduled for a Monday, we’ll call you on Friday during that same time period.

If you haven’t received a call by 5 p.m. on the day before your surgery, please contact the Perioperative Surgery department at 440.578.3033.

Also, emergencies can happen and may affect scheduling. If we need to delay or change your surgery time, we’ll tell you as soon as possible.

What To Expect the Day of Your Surgery

On the day of your surgery, here’s what to expect when you arrive and check in.

What to do on surgery day

You’ll want to leave any valuables and electronic devices at home. The same goes for all medications unless your healthcare provider has asked you to do otherwise.

But you do need to bring your:

Photo I.D.
Insurance card
Prescription drug cards
Responsible adult support person/driver

Making sure you have a ride home

You’ll have sedation or anesthesia during your procedure. This means you can’t drive or do daily activities for 24 hours. You’ll also need a responsible adult to stay at the hospital during your surgery, help you get ready to leave the hospital and then take you home.

We won’t allow you to use taxis, ride-sharing services and medical or senior transport unless a responsible adult goes with you.

Checking in

Once you arrive at the main entrance, head to the first-floor registration desk. When you check in, we’ll ask for the name of a family member or friend who can receive phone calls or text updates about your progress during your procedure.

Going to pre-op

After checking in, you’ll go to the pre-op area, often called pre-op. You’ll change into a hospital gown and remove all undergarments, glasses, dentures, jewelry and piercings.

While you’re in pre-op, we’ll:

Talk with you about how you’re feeling
Ask you about any medications you take, including when you last took them
Check your blood pressure, pulse and temperature
Place an intravenous (IV) line to give you fluids, medications or anesthesia

If you still get periods or have had your last one within the past year, you’ll need to provide a urine sample for a pregnancy test.

You may wait in pre-op for a little while. One or two family members or friends may stay with you until you head to surgery. If your child is having surgery, you may stay with them until they go into the operating room (OR).

Because wait times can be long, we recommend that young children stay at home. Your loved ones may wish to bring a book or other items to help pass the time. They may also want to bring a sweater or jacket, as waiting areas can be cool. Please note that hospital linens are reserved for patient use only.

Safety before surgery

While you’re in pre-op, you may be asked more than once to confirm your name, date of birth and the type of surgery you’re having. This is an important safety step to make sure everything is correct.

Before you go into the OR, someone from your surgical team may also mark the area where you’ll have surgery using a permanent marker to confirm the correct site.

We’ll also complete a few final checks before you head to surgery. These may include:

Confirming your consent forms
Reviewing your medical history and physical exam
Completing an anesthesia assessment
Making sure any needed imaging, blood products or implants are ready

These steps help make sure everything is in place for a safe procedure.

What Happens in the Operating Room (OR)

It’s common to feel nervous before surgery, and your care team understands that. Your nurse will be there to answer questions, explain what’s happening and help you feel as comfortable as possible throughout the process.

When you first go in

The operating room can feel busy when you first arrive. You may notice bright lights, cool temperatures and our team getting ready for your procedure. We’ll give you a warm blanket to keep you comfortable. If you need anything or feel uncomfortable, tell your nurse or another team member.

As part of our safety process, your care team will ask you to confirm a few things, just as they did in pre-op. This includes:

Your name
Date of birth
Procedure you’re having
Area of your body where surgery will take place

We may ask you these questions more than once. While it may feel repetitive, these checks help make sure everything is correct before surgery begins.

Our team will also do a final safety check called a “time out.” During this pause, everyone confirms the correct:

Patient
Side and site marking
Procedure
Position on the operating table
Implants, special equipment and X-rays (when applicable)

Anesthesia During Surgery

Your anesthesiologist will talk with you before surgery about types of anesthesia, including:

General anesthesia: This keeps you fully asleep during surgery.
Local anesthesia: Your surgeon numbs a small area of your body so the procedure can be done without putting you fully to sleep.
Regional anesthesia: This type numbs a specific larger area of your body. It can help with pain control after surgery and includes spinal and nerve blocks and epidurals.
Transversus abdominus plane (TAP) blocks: This numbs abdominal nerves to reduce pain after abdominal surgery.
Monitored anesthesia care (MAC): This type uses IV sedatives to help you relax and feel sleepy during your procedure and local anesthesia in the surgery area.

A nurse anesthetist (CRNA) or an anesthesia resident will work with your anesthesiologist. During surgery, this team will watch your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and oxygen levels.

Avoiding Surgical Site Infections

Sometimes, you can develop an infection in the area we operated on, but it’s rare.

What to look for

Let your care team know if you notice:

Redness or increasing pain around your incision
Cloudy drainage from your wound
Fever

Can you treat these infections?

Yes. We can treat most surgical site infections with antibiotics. In some cases, you may need another procedure to help treat it.

What we do to help prevent infections

Your care team takes several steps to help lower your risk, including:

Cleaning their hands and arms with an antiseptic before surgery and before and after caring for you
Removing hair near the surgical site using clippers only (never a razor)
Wearing sterile gowns, gloves, masks and hair coverings in the OR
Giving you antibiotics before surgery when needed
Cleaning your skin with a special antiseptic before surgery

Ways you can help

Before surgery:

Let us know about any health conditions, like allergies or diabetes
If you smoke, try to stop before your surgery date
Don’t shave near your surgical site

At the time of surgery:

Don’t let someone shave you with a razor
Do ask questions anytime something isn’t clear, including whether you’ll receive antibiotics

After surgery:

Try to make sure anyone caring for you cleans their hands before examining you
Ask visitors not to touch your incision or dressings
Encourage visitors to clean their hands before and after they see you

While Your Loved Ones Wait

Your loved ones are welcome to stay in our waiting area or leave the hospital during your procedure. We’ll send updates to their mobile device during surgery.

If they leave the waiting area or hospital grounds, they’ll need to let the receptionist or surgical liaison know how to reach them.

They can check with the receptionist or use the phone in the waiting area to contact the liaison if they have questions or need an immediate update.

Amenities

Mentor Hospital offers Wi-Fi access. It doesn’t have an on-site cafeteria, but if your loved ones wait onsite, they can:

Visit grab-and-go snack machines and coffee on the first floor
Order food from the hospital kitchen using the QR code posted in the surgical waiting area

Tracking your progress

To follow your surgery progress, your loved ones can use the real-time family view feature on our waiting room’s large monitor. When you check in, we’ll assign a personal code that your family can use to track your progress on the family view system.

The different coded areas appearing on this screen include:

In Pre-op: Preparing for surgery
In Room: Entering the operating room
Start: Procedure has started
In Phase 1: In the post-anesthesia care unit ( PACU)
In Phase 2: Preparing for discharge

After Your Surgery

When surgery is complete, your surgeon will update your designated visitors via phone or in person. You will then be transferred to the PACU (post anesthesia recovery unit) accompanied by your nursing and anesthesia team.

What happens after you leave the OR

Time in the recovery varies with each person and procedure. While you’re there, our team will keep a close eye on you as you wake up from anesthesia.

You may be able to have visitors in the PACU after the first hour, depending on how you’re doing. The PACU nurse will make this decision.

If you’re staying in the hospital, you’ll move to your room from PACU. We’ll text your room number to your loved ones. In some cases, your recovery nurse may share this information with them, too.

For same-day procedures, you’ll most likely go home after recovery unless your care team decides to keep you overnight.

Pain management

Effective pain management is important. Our team will help keep you as comfortable as possible. It’s normal to have some discomfort after surgery, and we can help you manage it.

We’ll ask you about your pain during your stay so we can understand how you’re feeling and adjust your care if needed. You may be asked to rate your pain on a scale from zero to 10. Zero means no pain and 10 means the worst pain you can imagine.

This information helps guide your pain management plan. Our team will check in with you regularly to see how you’re feeling and if the pain medications are helping.

Reducing your fall risks

You’re more likely to fall in an unfamiliar environment like a hospital room, especially if you’ve had sedatives or general anesthesia. If we feel you’re at risk, you’ll wear a yellow wristband that lets our team know you might need extra help. We don’t want your recovery time to take longer than expected from a fall-related injury.

If You're Admitted to the Hospital

If you’re staying overnight or longer in the hospital, here’s what you can expect.

Your stay at Mentor Hospital

You’ll have a private, single-patient room. We feel this helps support rest and recovery. Weekend visitation will require check-in at the security desk located at the main/emergency room entrance.

We encourage family and loved ones to visit you during your stay. They can see you once we move you to your hospital room. If you have special requests or unique visiting needs, please tell the information desk receptionist.

You can help by:

Using headphones when watching TV (your nurse can provide them)
Keeping voices low when talking or using the phone
Letting your nurse know if your room is too noisy

Leaving the Hospital

Before you go home, your care team will go over your recovery instructions, including how to care for your incision, manage pain and when to call your doctor. It’s a good time to ask questions and make sure you feel comfortable with your care plan.

Instructions for going home

Before you leave, we’ll make sure you know:

How to care for your incision or wound
What medications you should take at home
Who to contact if you have questions or concerns after surgery
Signs of infection to watch for, such as redness, drainage, worsening pain or fever

To start your recovery from home, you’ll want to:

Arrange for a friend or family member to take you home after surgery.
Have a responsible adult stay with you for the first 24 hours.
Start with liquids and slowly return to solid foods as you feel able.
Take deep breaths and cough regularly to help keep your lungs clear.
Do not drive, use machinery or drink alcohol for 24 hours after surgery.
Avoid making important decisions or signing legal documents for 24 hours after surgery.
Wash your hands before and after caring for your incision or wound.

If you’ve had a same-day procedure, someone from your care team may call you a few days after surgery to check on you and answer any questions.

Notice signs of infection or have concerns after returning home? Call your surgeon’s office. If you have questions after business hours, follow the instructions your care team provides before leaving the hospital.

Other Important Things To Know

Foreign language interpreters

Cleveland Clinic offers language interpretation and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services at no cost to you and the loved ones with you. We offer interpreter services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For your privacy and safety, we ask that family members and friends not serve as medical interpreters.

Language interpretation is available by phone or an on-site interpreter. ASL interpretation is available through video remote interpretation services or an on-site interpreter. Interpreter services are available for both hospital stays and outpatient appointments.

To request an interpreter or learn more, call Global Patient Services (GPS) dispatch at 216.445.7044 any time, day or night.

Latex-safe hospital

Cleveland Clinic is a latex-safe environment. We make every reasonable effort to avoid highly allergenic latex products to help reduce exposure for patients, visitors and our healthcare providers.

To support this effort, only Mylar^® balloons are allowed at Cleveland Clinic facilities.

Medications from home

You don’t need to bring your medication. Our team will prescribe the medications you need while you’re here from our onsite pharmacy. Your care team can help if you have any questions or concerns.

Ombudsman

Have a concern about your hospital services? The staff in the Ombudsman department is available to help resolve issues about services that can’t be solved through other channels. The team is available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Important health information in MyChart

Cleveland Clinic MyChart is a secure online resource that helps you stay connected to your care. You can use MyChart to:

View parts of your medical record.
Check test results.
Manage appointments.
Communicate with your care team when it’s convenient for you.
Receive helpful reminders and updates related to your care.

If you’re having a total joint replacement, please check your MyChart account before you arrive to complete any assigned assessments or educational videos.

Personal belongings and valuables

Please leave personal items and valuables at home. We offer secure lockers for any belongings you bring with you.

Smoking policy

Cleveland Clinic is committed to the health and safety of all patients, visitors and employees. Smoking, including electronic cigarettes, is not allowed anywhere on our campuses.

If you need extra help

Please let us know during the admission process if you need:

Sign language interpreters
Closed-caption TV converters
Portable teletype equipment