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• What is a "Pre-Anesthetic Visit or Consultation"?
• Why is it necessary ?
• Who will schedule it ?
• When will it be scheduled for ?
• What will happen at the visit ?
• What should I bring with me ?
• How long does it take ?
• Will I meet my anesthesiologist ?
• Can I request a certain anesthesiologist ?
• Is there a charge (cost) for this consultation ?

What is a "Pre-Anesthetic Visit or Consultation" ?

Pre-Anesthetic Visit or Consultation is the visit by the patient to the pre-op clinic to meet the pre-op nurse and / or an anesthesiologist. During this visit, a medical history pertaining to the surgery and anesthesia is obtained, necessary laboratory tests and other tests like Electrocardiogram, X-rays etc. are obtained or ordered and a discussion as to the type of anesthetic and risks etc. is held with the patient. The patients are familiarized with the upcoming surgery and anesthesia. For the patients who are already admitted to the hospital, an anesthesiologist may visit you in your room.

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Why is it necessary ?

The purpose of the visit is to make sure that you are in optimum condition to undergo surgery and anesthesia. This visit will also familiarize you with some of the events that will take place during the day of surgery. It probably will make you more comfortable and reduce your anxiety. Knowing your health status will allow the anesthesiologists to "fine tune" the anesthetic to your needs and take necessary precautions to ensure a safe anesthetic course. Also, this visit allows us to order necessary laboratory work so that the results are ready prior to the surgery and it may give us time to correct some of these abnormalities or arrange for additional tests or consultations if deemed necessary. If the surgery needs to be postponed in the event of an abnormal laboratory data, it will cause minimum disruption in the schedule.

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Who will schedule it ?

The visit is scheduled by your surgeon's office at the time when your surgery is scheduled. It is scheduled with the operating room secretary and the information is then passed along to the recovery room or PACU nurses, who will then contact you

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When will it be scheduled for ?

In most cases, the pre-op visit is scheduled for a day to a week in advance of the surgery. It is scheduled for the afternoon hours: between 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM.

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What will happen at the visit ?

First you will register with the "Admitting Clerk". The information about your address, age, insurance etc. will be entered into the computer and you will be signing a few documents related to your admission at Control Pain Center. After that, the pre-op nurse will interview & examine you. She will also explain to you the pre-surgical events, anesthesia and the post-surgical events. She will order pre-op medications and lab work, X-ray and EKG and other tests if necessary.

If your health status or the type of surgery requires that you be evaluated by an anesthesiologist, then you will be seeing an anesthesiologist at the same visit. He or she may not necessarily be the one who will be providing you with anesthesia at the time of your surgery. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have at the time of this visit.

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What should I bring with me ?

Please bring your insurance information, list of all the medications you take, any papers given to you by your surgeon's office, any reports you may have (e.g. EKG, Labs, X-ray reports), a list of allergies etc..

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How long does the visit take ?

Hopefully, the whole process is done in less then 45 to 60 minutes. If you have extensive or serious health problems, it may take a little longer. Also, sometimes it takes a while for us to obtain reports from your physician's office or hospital.

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Will I meet my anesthesiologist ?

If your health status or type of surgery requires that you be seen and evaluated by an anesthesiologist, then you will be seen by an anesthesiologist also. He or she may not be the one who will be giving anesthesia to you. However, you will be seeing your anesthesiologist just prior to the surgery, on the day of the surgery.

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Can I request a certain anesthesiologist ?

We are confident that you will receive an excellent anesthesia care by any anesthesiologist at Control Pain Center. The monthly anesthesiology call and rotation schedule is prepared in advance. You may try to request a particular anesthesiologist when your surgery is scheduled by letting your surgeon know your preference. We will try our best to accommodate your request, but if we can not, we hope you will understand.

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Is there a charge for this consultation ?

In almost all the cases there is no charge for the visit. In a rare case, where you may need an extensive evaluation and work-up by the anesthesiologist (which is sometimes requested by your surgeon), you may be billed for a consultation by him / her.

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