Accredited till June 2016

Pre-Admission Clinic (PAC)

Some patients may be required to attend the hospital’s PAC prior to their admission. The hospital or your surgeon will advise if you are required to attend the PAC.

Depending upon the scheduled surgical procedure and your medical history, the length of the PAC appointment may take up to one hour.

At the PAC you will have a health check, necessary pre-operative tests and a discussion with health professionals about your procedure. A relative or friend may accompany you to the appointment if you wish. You may need to have a consultation with an anaesthetist at the PAC.

Please ensure you bring all the following to your PAC appointment, your;

original admission forms
bookings information from your GP or specialist
consent form/s
additional tests if requested by your doctor
a list of your current medications
x-rays.

Please note: Attendance at the PAC is considered an outpatient visit for accounting purposes and is not included in your hospital inpatient stay. Some of the tests and assessments performed at the PAC may incur a gap payment. Medicare may reimburse the costs for some tests. You should check with your health fund regarding any reimbursements available for outpatient services.

Anaesthesia and your procedure

Virtually all surgical procedures require some form of anaesthesia which will be administered by an anaesthetist. You will be seen by your anaesthetist before your procedure. You may be seen by an anaesthetist in the Pre-Admission Clinic or in the anaesthetist’s private rooms.

Please carefully complete the Patient History forms, as the information on these forms will be used by your anaesthetist to assess your specific anaesthetic requirements. Please take special care to record:

All medications you are taking, the dose you are taking and how often you are taking the medications, including any complementary (herbal / alternative) medicines.
Any serious medical problems such as heart disease, asthma or diabetes
Any allergies or drug sensitivities
Usage of recreational drugs, tobacco or alcohol
Past anaesthetic experiences
Loose or broken teeth, caps, plates, implants or dentures.

All this is important in minimising risk and may influence the type of anaesthetic provided.

Preparing for your anaesthetic

There are several simple things that you can do to improve your general condition prior to your procedure:

Moderate exercise such as walking will improve your general physical fitness and aid your recovery
Cease smoking as soon as possible, ideally six weeks prior to surgery
Reduce alcohol consumption
Carefully follow the fasting and medication instructions on page 2 of this booklet. If these instructions are not followed, your procedure may have to be postponed in the interest of your safety
Contact your surgeon or anaesthetist if you have any questions, concerns, or are anxious about your anaesthesia.

Your medications

If you take any regular medication (including non-prescription medications) you should discuss this with your doctor. You may need specific instructions regarding which medications you should cease and which you should continue.

Generally, you should take your regular morning medication at 6.00am with a sip of water. If your procedure is in the afternoon and you usually take your medication at lunchtime, you should take those at 11am with a sip of water.

Exceptions to this are:

Aspirin and anti-inflammatory medications
All patients should cease taking these medicines 10 days prior to your procedure unless you are taking it for your heart or for stroke prevention. If you are taking aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix or Iscover), warfarin or anticoagulants for a heart condition or stroke prevention, you should seek specific instructions from your surgeon and cardiologist as to when or if these medications should be ceased.
Patients with coronary artery stents, any vascular stent or cardiac implant should discuss with their cardiologist or surgeon before ceasing the drugs listed above.
Diabetic Medications
- For all patients taking diabetic medications it is important that you discuss your diabetes medication instructions with your doctor prior to your procedure.
Herbal (complementary / alternative) medicines
- if you are having a procedure, you should cease taking these medicines for 10 days prior to your procedure unless otherwise instructed by your doctor.

Pictured above: Pre-Admission Clinic and Reception Area, The Surgery Centre Hurstville