How much in advance of surgery date are all the pre op tests done & what are they ?

[Nancy jane]

How much in advance of surgery date are all the pre op tests done & what are they ?

Going in 2-9-12 for AVR . Hoping for mini stern but well see. I'm guessing the X-ray - EKG- and blood work I had for a recent physical in September won't cut it ? Need new everything - ?? Anything else pre op to expect ? They doing cath the day before - thx to all. Nanc.

 

[jordan]

My cardiac cath was done in the middle of November. Pre-op blood work and chest x-ray was done on 12/16 and surgery was on 12/19. I also did all my pre-admission paperwork on the 16th, so all I had to do was show up that Monday morning.

Good luck with your upcoming surgery.

 

[Sarah_Louise]

My last planned op, I had a meeting with my surgeon a few weeks before, but as far as my ecg, chest x ray, blood ect ect they where done the day before so they where as accurate as possible for the op,
Good luck
Sarah xxxx

 

[RealtorRick]

I had meeting with surgeon and all pre-op testing, counseling etc on 12/29. Will have AVR on 1/11. Nothing needed before the big day, just show up at 5:30 am and get-r-done.
I had 5 tubes of blood drawn, met with nurses, surgeon, anesthesiology, blood conservation, did breathing tests, had a CT scan with dye injection and 5 hours after I got there I was on my way home.

 

[Ovie]

I go in the day before my surgery for all my tests. Blood work, X-rays, ct scan, eco, anesthesiologist, nurses, even an allergy specialist due to penecillin, which I'm allergic to. Found it odd I was doing all of this the day before. Get done around 4 in the afternoon than hospital at 5 am next day. I have no clue how I'm going to sleep night before.

You're 2 weeks before me Nancy, maybe I'll hear from you after yours and before mine and you can tell me it isn't too bad! you're in my thoughts.

 

[Nancy jane]

thanks all helps. so I'm guessing all the tests then are closer to 'the day" I"m calling DR ofice today to double check. but like everyone else here; nice to check with you all first. Ovie yes will keep all posted. not sure if I can 'teach' my husband how to use this site before then tho. LOL

 

[Mentu]

Nancy, one thing you can do on your own is to schedule a dental checkup. My surgeon required that I see my Dentist before the Pre-Op. My Pre-Op was a week before the AVR and went pretty much as Rick described, except, that I was also sent to the Ombudsman's office to review personal things such as my Medical Directive and the identity of my executor, telephone numbers for family, etc. She then gave me a small packet to give my friend and nephew (who wanted to be at the hospital during the AVR) describing the basic schedule, where the waiting room would be and when they could expect information to be passed to them. On the whole, it was a pretty good day.

Larry

 

[Lynlw]

I go in the day before my surgery for all my tests. Blood work, X-rays, ct scan, eco, anesthesiologist, nurses, even an allergy specialist due to penecillin, which I'm allergic to. Found it odd I was doing all of this the day before. Get done around 4 in the afternoon than hospital at 5 am next day. I have no clue how I'm going to sleep night before.

You're 2 weeks before me Nancy, maybe I'll hear from you after yours and before mine and you can tell me it isn't too bad! you're in my thoughts.

It's pretty common to have all the preop work done the day before surgery, or maybe the friday before if your surgery is on a Monday. I'm guessing you are staying somewhere close to Mayo the night before surgery? If so we usually wait until the last min to wake Justin so he can stumble to the car and pretty much go back to sleep when he gets there when he has to be there really early. IF you think you will have trouble sleeping that night, be sure to ask for something to help with that. Even if you end up not needing it, it some time helps just knowing it is there if you do.

 

[Jkm7]

I had TEE about 3 weeks prior and my cath about two weeks before the second surgery. (First was emergency.)
I went the day before to have chest x-ray, tons of blood work, urine, ekg, physical exam with PA, meet with cardiac nurse and especially with anestheiologist. Blood tests from months ago are worthless to them.... same for x-rays.

We arrived at Mass General at about 7:30 or so as directed and weren't finished until around 2:30 or so.
We stayed at nearby hotel that night and I was permitted to use sleep med if I wanted or anxiety med..

We arrived back at Mass General next morning at 5:30 A.M. and they took me immediately to room to get me ready.

 

[DanielB]

My surgeon wanted a ct scan before our first visit so he knew if he was going to need to do more then the planned AVR. Beyond that, he required all his own tests, including a physical by his PA a few days haead of time. Most of what they wanted done (bloodwork, x-rays meeting with the anethesiologist) were done in the week leading up to the surgery as well.

Dan

 

[Mom2izzy]

My pre-op appt is 2/1 and surgery is 2/28. Cath is whenever I can get it scheduled because I'm doing that at home rather than at UofM where my surgery will be done. Based on what others are saying that seems like a pretty big gap?? I do know that my surgeon will do a TEE immediately before surgery after I've already been knocked out. That was the procedure I feared the most, so I was pretty glad to hear that.

 

[Ovie]

Thanks lyn. Yeah I'm going to be staying directly across from the hospital in a hotel, they've got a skywalk over to it so I won't have to step out into the cold. I plan on asking about something to help me sleep, but I've always found sleeping pills to be sketchy. But it'll probably be nessecary.

 

[Nancy jane]

thanks everyone.. as usual you're all super. just found out I get all tests the day before (feb 8) & a cath too; then sleep at hospital and go in for procedure FEB 9 I'll try and teach my husband how to use this forum (that'll be a challenge... LOL ) he's pretty literate on the computer so we 'll be ok I"m sure.

am hoping as I say for the MINI stern .. but what will be will be. I"m ok and have a great attitude As long as I can get back to where I was; that's the main thing I'm looking for .. I love what I do.. and looking forward to continuing. All say it should be . so thanks again. I"m sure tho I'll have ore questions.. and LYN has been great in 'teaching' me (and ohters i'm sure) how to navigate on this ..

more later stay well and in touch. nanc

 

[Nancy jane]

do have one more Q.. (can you tell I"M A.D.D. ?)) LOL why do some surgeons do that TEE test; and some not? I"m not getting one (T.G. ) but wondered what's it for? /? hmmm Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[jordan]

I had a TEE last June. That was the echo that my cardiologists looked at and made the decision that I needed surgery in 6 months. A TEE is an ultrasound through the esophagus and provides a clearer image of the heart since the ultrasound travels through less tissue compared to an external echo. They did a TEE during my surgery. I'm not sure if it was before opening or before closing. I'm not sure why some surgeons do and others don't, but it seems to me that it's a simple way to view the heart function at multiple times during the whole process.

 

[Jkm7]

Everyone has TEE during surgery.....

 

[Mom2izzy]

For my valve, they diagnosed the problem 33 years ago, so they didn't need a TEE figure out what the problem is. I get the feeling that my surgeon actually feels like my cardiologist should have recommended surgery much sooner, so there is no question whether it's bad enough to need surgery. My surgeon indicated to me that the main reason for the TEE just prior to mitral valve repair is to check for any minor leaking of my tricuspid valve. It's apparently a common occurrence with the severe regurg that I have, so they don't want to complete the mitral valve repair and then have to go back in later for a tri-cuspid issue.

 

[Nancy jane]

Jkm7. Everyone ???????

 

[Jkm7]

During the surgery, my understanding is everyone has a TEE before they close us up. They can check for leaks etc