Surgical Care

Completing the steps below will help you be prepared for your upcoming procedure.

Go to all needed appointments. Your surgeon may have you see your primary care provider, a specialist (like a heart doctor or a lung doctor), or the Center for Surgical Optimization (CSO) before surgery to be sure you are safe to receive anesthesia during your surgery.

Complete your pre-surgery blood work. After your surgery is scheduled, your surgeon may give you a slip to get blood work before surgery. Have this testing done at a lab approved by your insurance company. It is best to have the blood work done 3 to 4 weeks before surgery. Christiana Care offers pre-admission testing at both the Newark and Wilmington hospital campuses. Please visit Christiana Care lab services for instructions, locations, and appointments.

Prepare a list of medicines you take. Your list should include prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, herbal supplements, vitamins, dietary supplements, creams and ointments, patches, and eye, ear or nose drops. Be sure to include:

• Medicine name
• How much you take (dose and how many pills)
• How often you take it (once a day, three times a day, once a week, for example)

Bring this list with you to all appointments and on the day of surgery.

Nurse phone call. A nurse will call you from the Perioperative Evaluation and Preparation team (PEP) to review your health information and surgery instructions.

Registration phone call. After your surgery has been scheduled, the Admitting Department will call you to gather your information by phone.

Make a copy of your Advanced Directives, or consider creating them if you do not currently have them.

If you already have advanced directives, like Instructions for Health Care (formerly a living will) or a Power of Attorney for Health Care, be sure to bring a copy to the hospital on the day of your surgery.

If you do not have advanced directives and would like to learn more about them, please ask someone from your health care team.

Note your hospital arrival time. It is important that you arrive on time. If you are late, your surgery may have to be moved to a much later time. If you have questions about your arrival time, call your surgeon’s office.

Be sure to sign up for the ChristianaCare Patient Portal prior to your procedure to receive test results, manage follow-up appointments and communicate with your doctor.

Thank you for choosing Christiana Care. We are here to help you every step of the way. We look forward to helping you fully heal and return to doing the things you love to do.

At ChristianaCare, we take infection prevention very seriously in our facilities and operating rooms. That’s why we have taken extra precautions to help ensure that we are minimizing risk to our patients and caregivers. Learn more about how Patient Safety Is Our Priority.

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