Preparing for Surgery

Please let Professor Purkayastha or his team know if you have a cough, cold, stomach flu, diarrhoea or asthma attack a week before surgery.

Ideally do not smoke in the week before surgery and for a few weeks after as this increases your risk of a chest infection, deep vein thrombosis (clots in the legs) and poor wound healing.

Please discuss all your medications including alternative remedies or therapies, homeopathy and Chinese medicines and vitamins / supplements with your anaesthetic doctor on the day of surgery. If there are any queries prior to this please email Professor Purkayastha’s team as above.

If your are taking aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin or any other blood thinning medications, your will be asked to stop these usually 1 week prior to surgery.

For your own safety you are not allowed to drive home yourself after surgery and after a general anaesthetic we insist that you are accompanied home on the day of discharge so please make arrangements for this.

Please let the team know if you have any allergies especially to medications, especially to latex, iodine, or penicillin.

It is important that your stomach remains empty. You may brush your teeth or use mouthwash; however, be sure not to swallow the water.

Please do not eat anything, or chew chewing gum, or suck on sweets, or drink any milky or cloudy fluids for at least 6 HOURS BEFORE YOUR PLANNED SURGERY

Failure to adhere to this may RESULT IN YOUR SURGERY BEING POSTPONED for safety reasons.

You may drink small amounts of water up to 3 hours before your surgery, BUT PLEASE DO NOT DRINK ANYTHING FOR 3 HOURS BEFORE YOUR SURGERY.

If your doctor or anaesthetist told you to take your daily medications on the morning of surgery, take them only with a small sip of water.

Dress in comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and wear shoes without heels.
Remove any nail polish or makeup.

Do not wear or bring any jewellery if you can. Small valuables can be locked away secured by the nursing staff for you.

If you wear contact lenses, please leave them at home and wear or bring your eyeglasses and case with you. We suggest that you write your name on the case.

If you wear dentures, please remember to bring a labelled storage container with you.
Bring your health insurance cards and a copy of any advance directives (e.g., Living Will or Durable Power of Attorney) you may have.

Bring a list of your current medications and dosages, and information about your medical history. This information will be placed in your medical record.

If you are to be admitted after surgery, pack a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, brush and any other items you may want while you are hospitalized.

Plan to arrive two hours before your scheduled operation. We use this time to finish preparing you for surgery. You may want to bring something to read while you wait. Please also be aware that our surgery schedule sometimes changes because of unexpected needs of other patients.

Please do not shave the area you are having surgery on in advance as this increases the risk of wound infection. If needed it will be shaved just before the surgery starts to minimize infection risk.

Once you have checked in, you will be asked to sit in the waiting areas until a nurse comes to get you. You will be taken to a private area to get ready for your surgery. Your nurse will give you a hospital gown and stockings to wear to reduce the risk of clots and may start an intravenous (iv) line to give you fluid and medications.

Once your have been prepared for surgery, the nurse will bring back one family member or friend to stay with you until you are brought into the operating room.
If you are to be admitted following surgery, your family may wait in the waiting area. They will be notified of your status by your doctor or the nursing staff.

You will then be seen by an anaesthetic consultant and Professor Purkayastha. Please feel free to ask any last minute questions. For any relatives with you Professor Purkayastha will be happy to call them after the surgery to put their minds at ease. We know that this can be a stressful time for both you and your relatives, so please do not hesitate to ask if this helps you or your family.

You will be then called for your surgery. Often you will walk down to the operating room and lie down yourself on the operating table and be put to sleep on this table itself. This is normal practice in our private wings.

If you are moving forward with Bariatric Surgery with us, in this page you can find any dietary information you will need to know regarding your preoperative and postoperative diet. Your dietitian will go through this information with you in your initial consultation and follow up appointments to ensure best outcomes.

These files are Password protected, If you don’t have a password, contact us for a consultation as these downloads are for our clients.

These are the comprehensive risks of bariatric surgery that we are legally obliged to tell all of our patients. However all these risks are less than one percent with our expert, world-renowned team.