Specialized Anesthesia Services - Outpatient Surgery

What is Outpatient Surgery?

More and more patients are able to have needed procedures done without the need for an overnight stay at a hospital. While some outpatient surgery is done in a traditional hospital setting, more and more is done in other locations. Anesthesia Services PA provides outpatient care in a variety of locations including

Hospital based surgicenters (Christiana Surgicenter on the Christiana Campus, Roxana Cannon Arsht Surgicenter on the Wilmington Campus)
Free standing locations (Glasgow surgicenter and the Dover Surgery Center)
Office based with Dr. Jeffery Russell

Who should not have outpatient surgery?

Almost everyone can have outpatient surgery. Exceptions are very young children, and some people with multiple or poorly controlled severe medical problems..

When will I meet my anesthesia providers?

Your anesthesia care team will meet you in the admitting area of the operating room. After you meet the anesthesiologist and certified registered nurse anesthetist, you can discuss any questions you may have about your specific anesthesia care plan. If you have questions that need to be addressed prior to your scheduled surgery date, you can schedule an appointment (by telephone or in person) with our Pre-anesthesia Evaluation Process (PEP) team.

What kind of anesthesia will I receive?

The recommended anesthesia for your procedure will be based on your medical history, the planned surgical procedure, and, of course, your preferences. Our goal is to maximize your safety and satisfaction, as well as to bring about a speedy recover with minimal side effects.
Types of anesthesia

General anesthesia is when you don’t sense anything during the procedure. It is usually brought about by medicines given by an IV and medicine breathed in.
Regional anesthesia is when local anesthesia is injected near a nerve to numb part of the body. Spinal or epidural anesthesia will numb the lower part of your body. There are other kinds of injections to numb an arm or leg. Often medicine to make you sleepy is given with regional anesthesia
Monitored anesthesia care is when your anesthesia provider gives pain medicine and sedation, while your surgeon numbs the area of the surgery

How long will I be in the recovery area?

You can expect to be in the recovery area (PACU) for approximately 45-90 minutes before going home. Shorter recovery times are typically seen with briefer procedure done with MAC anesthesia. Longer recovery time tend to be seen with longer operations under general anesthesia.

What are common side effects?

Unfortunately, despite many advances in the medicines and techniques for outpatient surgery, side effects occur. Nausea and vomiting, sore throat, pain, drowsiness and headache are not unusual after outpatient surgery. Certain techniques and medicines can help minimize these problems. Consult with your surgeon and anesthesia providers regarding specific concerns.
You should not drive a car, operate machinery or make major decisions for 24 hours following surgery.

On-line sites to visit:

Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA) patient information site
http://www.sambahq.org/patient-info/patient-info.html

American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) patient education site
http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation.htm

American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) patient resources center web site
http://www.aana.com/patients/default.asp

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