Information for Patient, Family & Visitors

We aim to provide you with the most information possible to better your overall care. Take some time to review the valuable information below for patients and family.  

Welcome

Welcome to Campus Surgery Center (Campus). Campus is an E3 Healthcare Management LLC affiliated ambulatory surgery center. Our mission is to provide quality, cost-effective, ambulatory surgical services in a warm, caring environment. Your physician is supported by a highly skilled team of registered nurses and health care professionals who are committed to making your stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible. This pamphlet has some key instructions and helpful hints optimize your stay with us pleasant and comfortable. We ask that you read it carefully. Should you have a special concern or question, please contact us at (650) 991-2000.

Campus Surgery Center is located on the main floor of the Physicians Medical Center and offers many amenities for the comfort and convenience of its patients, including free parking, an on-site café and wireless internet access in the waiting lounge for family and friends.

If you are considering having your surgery performed at Campus, the following information will help make your experience more comfortable. We ask that you review this web site and call us with any concerns or questions:

• Main telephone number: (650) 991-2000

Patient Forms

• Privacy Policy
  
• Discharge Instructions Following Anesthesia
  
• Forms require free Adobe Reader - click here if necessary

Scheduling Your Procedure

Your physician's office will schedule your procedure at Campus. You do not need to come into Campus prior to your surgery to pre-register.

• Main telephone number: (650) 991-2000

Location and Parking

Complimentary parking is available at Campus. We are located on the main level of the Physicians Medical Center in suite 102. Receptionists in our center's lobby will assist you through the admitting process.

There are drop-off spaces directly in front of the physicians medical center.

• Click here to directions and a detailed map to our center

Information for Patients, Friends and Family

Dear Patient,

Thank you for choosing Campus Surgery Center! We appreciate the trust that you have placed in our staff. We are dedicated to making your brief stay with us a safe, convenient and positive experience. You will encounter a special kind of care at Campus. You will be treated with courtesy and respect by a team of professionals who specialize in ambulatory surgery.

We welcome and encourage your comments and suggestions. Please ask for a patient satisfaction survey if one is not provided to you.

Campus Surgery Center has many distinguishing features, including:

• Full range of services.
• A dedicated team of professionals who are experienced in the latest advances in ambulatory surgical care.
• Wireless internet access for families in the waiting room, an on-site café and complimentary parking.

Information for Family and Friends

We invite your family to stay at the surgery center while you are having surgery. Our waiting room is equipped with wireless internet coverage and computer terminals so your family members can work while waiting.

Preparing for Surgery

• Arrange for a responsible adult to drive you home from Campus Surgery Center. If you have had sedation, you are not permitted to drive for 24 hours after surgery. A taxi or limousine is not acceptable unless you are accompanied by a responsible adult.
• Arrange to have a responsible adult stay with you the rest of the day following your surgery if you have received any sedation.
• If your procedure is covered by an insurance company, bring your insurance card and completed insurance forms, including the correct mailing address for your insurance company.

The Night Before Surgery

If you are undergoing anesthesia, you will receive a pre-operative appointment or phone call from one of our anesthesiologists before your scheduled surgery. If you are not using the services of an anesthesiologists you will instead be contacted by a registered nurse. The anesthesiologist or nurse will review your health history and answer any questions you have. If you have not heard from our staff within a week of being scheduled, please contact us at (650) 991-2000.

Before your Surgery

• Avoid aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil), naproxen (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn) or any anti-inflammatory medications at least a week before your surgery. If you are taking Plavix, Coumadin, Warfarin, Lovenox, Heparin or any other blood thinners please follow your surgeon’s directions about when to stop them. If you have not stopped these medications, notify your surgeon.
  
  
• You should not eat any heavy or fatty foods after midnight before surgery. If your case starts in the afternoon, you can have light carbohydrate food until 6 hours before surgery. You can have non-dairy clear liquids until 4 hours before surgery. No creamers or pulpy fruit juice. You should not have anything by mouth within 4 hours of surgery except for required medicines with a small sip of water. No gum, candy or breath mints. Any food in the stomach at the time of surgery can increase the risk of aspiration, pneumonia and even death.
  
  
• If you regularly take blood pressure medication in the morning, continue to take this in the morning with a small sip of water.
  
  
• Do not take any diabetic medications or use insulin the AM of surgery unless instructed by the anesthesiologist.
  
  
• Refrain from smoking after the midnight before surgery.
  
  
• Your time of arrival the day of surgery will be given to you at the time of your pre-op visit or pre-op phone call. In general you will be asked to arrive 1-1 ½ hours before you surgery starts, depending on the type of surgery you are having.
  
  
• Please do not bring any cash or valuables with you unless told by the business office to bring payment for co-insurance. Please leave all jewelry at home. You need to bring your driver’s license, medical and pharmacy cards.
  
• Bring your hearing aids, glasses, glass case and denture case. Wear glasses instead of contact lenses.
  
  
• If you are having surgery that requires crutches, podiatry shoe or an ice machine and you have had this delivered to your home or you have used one in the past, please bring with you to the surgery center.
  
  
• If you are having shoulder surgery please bring a cotton t-shirt with short sleeves. (You will need to wear this under the ice machine.)
  
  
• Wear flat comfortable shoes and loose clothes.
  
  
• Do not apply skin lotions, oils or perfumes to your skin before surgery.
  
  
• Bring a list of your current medications and dosages with you.
  
  
• Please be prepared to show documentation for Advance Health Care Directives or Power of Attorney if this is applicable to you.
  
  
• Arrange for a responsible adult to drive you home. If you have had any sedation, you are not permitted to drive for 24 hours after surgery. A taxi or limousine is not acceptable unless accompanied by a responsible adult. Failure to make these arrangements could cause your surgery to be cancelled.

Dowload Pre-Op Instructions

The Morning of Surgery

Registration Desk/Lobby

At the registration desk, the admitting clerk will request your insurance card for billing purposes. After registering, please wait in the lobby until the nursing staff welcomes you into the preoperative area.

Admission to Preoperative Unit

Once in our preoperative room, you will be provided with a gown, robe and slippers. You may be asked to remove contact lenses, dentures, jewelry, hairpieces and prosthesis before going into the operating room. Your clothes will be stored safely and returned as you prepare for discharge.

A nurse will take your vital signs, pulse, temperature, respiration and blood pressure and ask you about your health history including whether you have any allergies. You will initial the site of surgery. The nurse or member of the surgical team will physically mark the area or location of your surgery as a matter of protocol.

For Our Younger Patients

• A parent or legal guardian must accompany patients who are minors and remain on site until the patient is discharged.
• If your child has a favorite toy or blanket, please bring it with you.
• Parents are able to stay with their child until surgery and may rejoin the child as soon as he/she awakens.
• We recommend that two adults accompany the minor home so one adult can drive and the other can care for the minor.
• We would be happy to arrange a tour of our facility with you and your child. It is best if the child takes part in a tour no more than one week prior to his/her scheduled surgery. To schedule a tour for your child, please call 650.991.2000.
• For infants who use a bottle, please bring a bottle and formula. Juice is on hand, if needed.

Special Precautions

Contact Campus or your personal physician immediately if you experience any changes in your health, such as an elevated temperature, cold or sore throat.

If you are a woman of childbearing age and suspect you may be pregnant, please notify your physician. Certain anesthetics and medications may be harmful to a developing fetus.

After Surgery

• Generally, you will be ready for discharge within 30 minutes to two hours after your surgery (depending on the type of procedure you are having).
• Post-operative instructions will be reviewed with you and any prescriptions ordered by your physician will be given to you upon discharge.
• It is normal to feel sleepy or experience dizziness after surgery. If you have had sedation, refrain from driving or drinking alcohol for at least 24 hours after surgery.

Anesthesia

Anesthesia keeps you pain free during surgery. It can cause you to lose feeling or sensation during the operation with or without loss of consciousness. Your surgeon and your anesthesiologist will discuss the type of anesthesia that is appropriate for your surgery.

Types of Anesthesia

Local Anesthesia:

Patients remain awake, but the part of your body that will be operated on is made numb to pain. This loss-of-pain sensation is produced by directly injecting the area to be treated with numbing medication (local anesthetic).

Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC)

The patient will be given intravenous sedation by an anesthesiologist in conjunction with a local anesthetic to keep you comfortable during the procedure. The sedation wears off quickly but may leave the patient with little or no memory of the surgery.

Nerve Blocks

This involves numbing an arm, leg, or the body's lower half of the body with local anesthetics. An anesthesiologist with often use intravenous sedation to keep the patient comfortable during the procedure. The sedation wears off quickly but may leave the patient with limited or no memory of the surgery.

General Anesthesia

Patients are asleep and their whole bodies are made unaware of pain. Anesthesia is given by intravenous injection of medications and inhalation of anesthetic gases. Patients may have an airway or breathing tube inserted during the procedure to assist breathing. It is placed after the patient falls asleep and removed before he/she awakens.

Common Side Effects of Anesthesia

Depending on the type of anesthesia, you may experience a sore throat, mild nausea, headache, drowsiness or fatigue after the procedure. Some patients do not experience any side effects. Talk to your anesthesiologist about what to expect.

Recovering at Home

It has been well documented that patients recover most successfully from surgical procedures if they can quickly become mobile and return to their home environments. Therefore it is our goal to return you home as soon as our discharge criteria is met.

We recommend that you have a family member or friend stay with you for the first 24 hours after surgery.

Contact your physician's office if you experience any problems or difficulties.

Do not drink any alcoholic beverages for 24 hours following surgery.

Follow your physician's post-operative instructions regarding diet, medications, rest, return visit and return to normal activities.

Most patients will receive a post-op telephone call from a staff member a couple days following their procedures so that we can ensure they are on the road to recovery. Please be sure to leave a number where you can be reached.

Do not drive or operate machinery for 24-48 hours following surgery.

Managing Post Operative Discomfort at Home

Everyone experiences pain differently. Most patients experience some discomfort after surgery, depending on the type of procedure. We recommend that you speak with your physician prior to surgery about the pain control method that would work best for you.

Patients are often comfortable when leaving the surgery center and do not think they will need their prescription pain pill. However, pain can increase in the post-operative period, so it is important that you fill the prescription for your pain medication.

Sometimes surgeons may use local anesthesia at the wound site to make the patient more comfortable. When the local anesthesia wears off, patients will want pain medications handy. It is much easier to control pain than try to alleviate it with more medication once you are very uncomfortable.

Take pain relief drugs when pain first begins and continue to take the pain medication as prescribed every 4-6 hours with food to avoid an upset stomach. Consistent narcotic use every 4 hours will cause constipation. Increase your water, fruit and fiber consumption. As time goes by, you will find you need less medication and it is easier to manage pain. If the pain medication prescribed is ineffective, please contact your physician.

Switch to non-narcotic medications when possible. Tylenol and ibuprofen are excellent non-addictive medications for pain management.

Do not drive when taking narcotic-type medications.

When to call your Physician or Seek Medical Care

Your physician or your physician's staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In an emergency, call 911.

Call your physician for any of the following:

• Temperature of 101 degrees or higher, and/or chills
  
• Nausea and vomiting that lasts more than 24 hours
  
• Increasing drowsiness
  
• Worsening pain not relieved by pain medication
  
• Increased swelling around the incision
  
• Redness around the incision that is spreading
  
• Bright red blood or foul-smelling discharge coming from the wound