What Happens: On the Day of Surgery?

You will be asked to come into the hospital 90 minutes to 2 hours prior to your scheduled surgery.

Just prior to being taken into the operating room (OR), you will meet your surgeon again to go over any last minute questions or concerns you may have, and also meet your anesthesiologist.

Once in the OR, your anesthesiologist and the OR nursing personnel will do a “time out” to confirm your identification and the scheduled surgery to be performed, followed by preparing you for general anesthesia and surgery. This includes starting 2 IV lines, an arterial line if needed. Placement of a Foley catheter is rarely needed (for bladder emptying during surgery) because of the short operative time. Then, you will “go to sleep” after having an endotracheal tube inserted.

Surgery will then begin (by the surgeon) with the proper body and head positioning. For MVD, your head will be fixed in a 3-pin frame for the duration of your surgery.

After optimal body/head positioning, an area on the scalp behind the ear will be shaved (as little as possible). The incision is then marked (4 cm incision), followed by the surgical site being prepped with a sterilizing solution.

Then, the head and body will be “draped” with only the shaved & prepped incision area of the scalp exposed.

Surgery then begins after another “time out”, to confirm that the correct patient is in the OR, and the correct surgery is being performed on the appropriate side of the head/brain as scheduled.

After surgery, a sterile head dressing is applied, general anesthesia reversed, and the endotracheal tube removed as you “wake up” from surgery and anesthesia.

A quick neurological evaluation is usually performed by the surgeon after you “wake up” from surgery, prior to leaving the OR.

You will be taken either to the recovery room (“PACU”), followed by a nursing floor or directly to the intensive care unit (“ICU”) for postoperative management.

Your will meet your family about an hour or two after completion of your surgery in your room.

You will be encouraged to get out of bed and move around from the day following surgery when your diet will also be advanced, as tolerated, to a regular diet.