Overview
The Day Surgery Center is a comprehensive surgical unit where outpatient surgical procedures are conducted.  Patients who visit the Day Surgery Center are scheduled either for same-day surgery and discharge or post-surgery hospital admission.  The Day Surgery Center’s surgical suite is staffed with board-certified surgeons and nurses and utilizes the same advanced, state-of-the-art equipment found in the hospital’s general surgical suite.

Services
Pre-Operative Interview:  Depending on the referring physician’s request, patients are either “Fast Tracked” – scheduled to conduct a pre-operative interview with one of our registered nurses – or scheduled to come to CVMC for an in-person pre-operative appointment with a registered nurse in the Day Surgery Center.  

Learn more about Surgical Site Infections

Pre-Surgery Requirements:  Patients are asked to have nothing to eat or drink starting at midnight the night before surgery.  Food and beverage in the stomach can lead to aspiration, or stomach contents rolling into your lungs, which can lead to serious complications.  The pre-operative interview nurse or physician will discuss ahead of time any medications that need to be taken on the morning of surgery.

Check-in Services:  On the day of surgery, patients are advised to bring insurance cards, an updated list of all medications, and a pair of slip-on shoes, such as flip-flops or slippers.  It is recommended to leave any jewelry or valuables at home.  Once the patient is checked in, a nurse will walk him or her to an assigned day surgery room to prepare for surgery.  Two family members or visitors may accompany the patient to the room.

Check-in Time:  Patients are advised to arrive two hours prior to their scheduled surgery time.  This allows time to take care of all pre-operative details, such as completing all paperwork, starting an IV, and completing any last minute tests or lab work.

Comfort Scale:  All patients are asked to establish a comfort goal prior to admission to CVMC.  Patients are asked to consider the level of discomfort that would be bearable before taking something for pain. A scale of 0 to 10 is used, with 0 being none and 10 the worst pain imaginable. Patients will be asked to rate their pain after surgery using this scale.

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU):  Post-surgery, patients are taken this unit where they can be observed by our recovery nurses.  Family or friends are not allowed in this area.  Once all the PACU criteria have been met, the patient returns to the day surgery room to prepare for discharge or hospital admission.

Post-Surgery Assessment: Our post-operative staff works with patients to assess their level of pain and get them as close to their comfort scale as possible.  Physician’s orders will also be provided for both the patient and his/her physician, follow up appointments will be made, and prescriptions will be written.

Location
Catawba Valley Medical Center, First Floor
Entrance located at the north side of the main hospital building.