Important Precautions

Your surgeon will be best able to answer any questions you may have about your procedure. If after reading these guidelines, you have further questions about your stay, don't hesitate to call your surgeon or our office at 401-444-8372.

• Bring one form of positive identification. Examples of an acceptable form of ID are a driver's license, a federal ID bearing a photograph, an employer photo-ID badge or a credit card bearing a photograph. The ID must be current.
• Do not eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery unless instructed otherwise. This includes gum, hard candy and breath mints. If you were instructed by your surgeon or anesthesiologist to take medication on the morning of your surgery, take your medication with a sip of water. You can brush your teeth, rinse your mouth and shower on the day of your surgery.
• Do not take blood thinning medication such as Coumadin and aspirin products before surgery. If you are currently taking Coumadin or an aspirin product for a medical condition, contact the doctor who prescribed the medication and ask if and when you should discontinue use prior to surgery.
  Medications that contain aspirin or aspirin-like products
• Do not smoke on the day of your surgery. Smoking is irritating to your lungs and can make it harder for you to recover from anesthesia. Smoking is not permitted in the hospital. You should try to stop smoking two weeks before your surgery.
• Do not wear makeup. The doctors and nurses caring for you need to see your natural coloring. For this reason, please do not wear makeup or nail polish to the hospital, especially eye makeup, which can injure your eyes during anesthesia.
• Bring your medications to the hospital with you. Even if you are going home the same day as your surgery, bring your medications (including insulin if you are diabetic) to the hospital. If you will be admitted to the hospital after your surgery, please have a relative or a friend take your prescriptions home.
• Bring insurance cards and the pre-admission questionnaire with you to the hospital.
• Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes to the hospital.
• Leave your valuables at home. You will not be able to wear any jewelry during surgery, including wedding rings and watches, so it is best to leave these items at home. Credit cards, checkbooks and cash should also be left at home.
• Arrange for transportation home from the hospital. You may not drive yourself home after surgery. Please arrange to have a family member or friend accompany you to and from the hospital. It is important that you don't drive or operate any heavy machinery for the first 24 hours after receiving sedation or anesthesia. Plan to have a family member or friend assist you at home following your surgery.
• Do not wear contact lenses. Wearing contact lenses during surgery can cause serious harm to your eyes. If you decide to wear your contact lenses to the hospital, please bring a contact lens case and solution, as well as eyeglasses to wear after surgery. Please remember to bring your eyeglass case with you to the hospital. You may wear eyeglasses, dentures or hearing aids to the hospital.
• Bring any advance directives (e.g., a living will) with you to the hospital on the day of your surgery.
  More about advance directives

Social Services

Our social services department is available for patients with special needs, such as transportation assistance, and connection with outside agencies. For more information about our social services department call 401-444-5711.