Pre-operative Preparation

Cruise Plastic Surgery maintains the highest standards in patient care. Your safety is paramount. In fact, patient safety is the very reason why this section and every section in our web site is defined. We recognize the importance of taking care of every last detail.

We strongly emphasize safety, and therefore place a high degree of detail and focus with regard to pre-operative preparation. At first glance, it may seem like a lot of information; however, it is actually quite simple especially if you are in good health. Your patient coordinator will help you through this process. However, generally speaking, your preoperative preparation can be broken down into 5 basic steps.

Obtaining Pre-operative Medical Clearance

For patients over 50 years old or for anyone with a pre-existing health condition. This clearance is typically obtained from your family doctor or other specialist most responsible for your health condition. This doctor will conduct a physical and may require lab work and other tests to ensure you are in good health and capable of undergoing general surgery. After reviewing the results of your physical and tests, your physician will typically indicate they are on board with your procedure and sign a letter stating you are optimized for general anesthesia.

Blood work

Patients undergoing general anesthesia are generally required to take a series of blood tests. Your patient coordinator will review the required tests with you and direct you on when and where to take them, but here is a general guide.

• CBC – complete blood count.
• PT/PTT – blood timing test.
• Beta Qual – pregnancy test. It is not required if a patient had a hysterectomy or is postmenopausal.
• Mamm – mammogram. It is required if a female patient,over 40, is considering a breast procedure. This test may be requested from patients younger than 40 with significant breast cancer history is present in her family.
• Chem 12 – a blood test that measures the levels of twelve substances in the blood.
• EKG – a test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat.
• PCP – Clearance from your primary care physician.
• – younger than
• – older than

Sex/Age	Lab work
	CBC	PT/PTT	Beta/Qual	Mamm.	Chem 12	EKG	PCP
Female <40	X	X	X
Female 40>	X	X	X	X
Female 45>	X	X	X	X		X
Female 50>	X	X	X	X		X	X
Female 65>	X	X		X	X	X	X
Male <45	X	X
Male 45>	X	X				X
Male 50>	X	X				X	X
Male 65>	X	X			X	X	X

Other tests may be required in addition to the above general requirements depending upon your individual health history and background.

Pre and Post Operative Instructions & Procedural Consents

At this time, you will receive and review your consents and procedure related paperwork. After making your deposit and choosing your surgery date, we will send you all pre and post operative instruction and procedural consents. When you receive them, please review and sign each page where indicated. You may highlight any areas of concern or make a list of any additional questions and your patient care coordinator will review and answer all your questions during your pre-operative phone appointment.

A special note, all patients considering surgery should avoid aspirin or any aspirin containing product such as advil or ibuprofen for 2 weeks prior to surgery and for 1 week after surgery. Some procedures will require you to stop smoking completely for 6 weeks prior to surgery and for 2 weeks after, as smoking inhibits wound healing and can cause wound healing problems. For a complete list of all pre and post operative instructions, please turn to the following link: Patient Forms

Pre-operative Phone Call

A week or so prior to your departure to Orange County, your patient coordinator will contact you to make sure everything is in order. She will go over your questions and help you coordinate your stay so you may put your mind to rest that everything has been taken care of. During this phone appointment, we will review your pre operative instructions sheet. We will also go over any dietary considerations and restrictions, review your list of prescribed medications, any you are currently taking, and those medications to avoid, we will coordinate appointments for your labs, and help you purchase all necessary surgical garments. Though we provide you with most surgical garments, you may need to purchase one or two prior to surgery in your own size if the garment needs to be customized. Once again, the purpose of this call is to put your mind at ease that everything is taken care of.

‹‹ Required Stay

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