What to Do Before Surgery

 

Weeks Leading Up to Surgery

• Review the surgical packet provided to you by the office. It has valuable information about your surgery and how to prepare for your upcoming procedure! 

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Medical Clearances

• Obtain appropriate medical clearances: Our office will help arrange these medical clearances for you. Depending on the type of surgery and your health, you may see your own primary care provider or a Stamford Health provider at the Pre-Op Optimization Program.

• We will let you know if you need specialist clearances, such as cardiology, neurology, infectious disease, rheumatology, pulmonology, etc. ​

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​Order Sling/Medical Equipment for After Surgery

• Our office recommends you order your sling and other medical equipment through the Recovery Shop at the following link: https://shop-recovery.net/blaine.

  • Your sling or brace will be delivered to you directly at your home, please bring it with you the morning of surgery unless otherwise notified by our office

  • The items provided by The Recovery Shop are not covered by your insurance company. However, they can be purchased using an HSA account or any major credit or debit card.​

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• Shoulder Surgery Specific Medical Equipment Recommendations​

  • The sling is mandatory, you must order this.

  • Ice Machine: Optional. Icing can be very helpful at reducing inflammation and improving pain control. You have the option of renting or purchasing a commercially available ice machine (Nice Machine, Game Ready, etc).

  • Recliner: Optional. Some patients may choose to rent a recliner chair to sleep and rest in after their shoulder surgery as we request you avoid laying flat on your back for the first few weeks after surgery. 

  • Wedge Pillow: Optional. Same idea as recliner but allows you to stay in your own bed. 

  • Scar cream: Optional. You may apply scar cream starting 3 weeks after your surgery. We recommend a silicone-based scar cream called Biocorneum.

 

Medications

• Do not stop any medications without discussing with your primary care provider first

• Tylenol is OK to take for pain leading up to your surgery

• Do not take anti-inflammatories (Aspirin, Naprosyn, Aleve, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen, etc.) within 7 days of surgery.  These medications increase the bleeding risk during/after surgery.

• Do not take any herbal medications, natural products, or vitamin supplements (alfalfa, capsicum, celery seed, chamomile, chondroitin, clove, dandelion, dong quai, feverfew, fish oil, flax seed, gamma linoleic acid, garlic, ginger, gingko, ginseng, glucosamine, horseradish, licorice, liver oil, melatonin, onion, papain, papaya, parsley, passionflower, poplar, resveratrol, sweet cover, turmeric, willow bark, etc.) within 10 days of surgery. Many of these increase bleeding risk during/after surgery.

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Days Leading Up to Surgery

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Arrange Pickup

• Please make arrangements for someone to take you home after your procedure.  The hospital requires that surgery patients arrange for an escort home. You will not be allowed to leave the hospital without an escort. In some cases, surgery may be canceled if you have not made this plan upon registration.

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48 Hours Before Surgery

• To help prevent infection after your surgery, we would like you to initiate a cleansing program starting 48 hours before your surgery. Bacteria lives on your skin and can increase your risk of developing infection. The goal of these washes is to reduce the amount of bacteria on your skin leading up to your surgery. 

  • We recommend that you use TWO types of washes: Benzoyl Peroxide and Hibiclens. The order does not matter. 

  • Please perform these washes in the shower or bath as we intend for you to apply, work into a lather, and rinse them off. 

Benzoyl Peroxide Wash: You will need to purchase over the counter Benzoyl Peroxide 5-10% wash from any pharmacy. Most store brands (CVS, Target, Walmart, Walgreens) should have it and it typically costs around $10. This wash has been shown to reduce the risk of C. Acnes infection. C. Acnes is a bacteria commonly found on the surface of your skin. This should be used beginning 48 hours prior to surgery as outlined below.​

• WARNING! It is suggested to wear a cotton t-shirt and use a white towel to dry the area after washing, as the Benzoyl Peroxide may bleach your clothing/towels. 

• 2 days before surgery: Use the Benzoyl Peroxide wash onto the skin over the operative shoulder or elbow on the side, front, and back areas. For the shoulder, ensure you wash the armpit area last. This should be gently rubbed onto the skin as if you are applying body wash or soap in the shower. Do this for 3 minutes. Please rinse off in the shower and pat dry. Be mindful, as Benzoyl Peroxide can bleach your clothing/towels. 

• 1 day before surgery: Repeat the above step. 

• Morning of surgery: Repeat the above step.

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Hibiclens Wash: You will need to purchase over the counter Hibiclens wash as well. This wash has also been shown to help reduce risk of infection. This should be used beginning 48 hours prior to surgery as outlined below.​​

• 2 days before surgery: Use the Hibiclens wash onto the skin over the operative shoulder or elbow on the side, front, and back areas. For the shoulder, ensure you wash the armpit area last. This should be gently rubbed onto the skin as if you are applying body wash or soap in the shower. Do this for 3 minutes. Please rinse off in the shower and pat dry. 

• 1 day before surgery: Repeat the above step. 

• Morning of surgery: Repeat the above step.

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Day Before Surgery

• No eating or drinking after midnight prior to your surgery unless specifically told otherwise by one of our staff members. ​​

• The OR team will call between 2pm and 7pm on the day before your surgery to inform you when to arrive for your surgery.

• Plan to arrive 2 hours before your scheduled procedure. The time listed on MyChart may differ from your actual OR time. Please refer to the time provided by the OR team for arrival time. 

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Day of Surgery

- Bring your sling!

- We recommend wearing loose fitting clothing or something easy to put on such as button up/zip up/snap shirts.

- You may pack a small bag that will be securely stored for you during your procedure. Ensure you bring:

• Photo ID

• Telephone number of your loved one and/or ride home

• Medication lists