A procedure in our own operating theatre: how the day unfolds

Almost all procedures at ACLINIC take place in our own operating theatre in Oostkamp. Procedures requiring an overnight stay are carried out in the hospital where your doctor works (AZ Delta Roeselare or AZ Sint-Lucas Brugge). In this article you can read how the day of a procedure at the clinic unfolds, and what happens behind the scenes to make that day go safely.

Before the day itself

After the consultation and the legally required reflection period, you schedule the procedure with the practice manager. You will receive written instructions about medication, smoking, fasting and what to bring. Blood thinners are always reviewed in consultation with the prescribing doctor. Depending on your age and health, an additional examination is sometimes required.

Arrange in advance for someone to take you home after the procedure and to stay with you that first night. After sedation or general anaesthesia, you must not drive yourself for the first twenty-four hours.

How the day unfolds

What to bring

• your identity card
• the list of your medication
• comfortable clothing that opens at the front or is loose fitting
• flat shoes
• the documents you received beforehand

Leave jewellery and valuables at home. Do not wear make-up, nail polish or cream on the area of the procedure.

What happens behind the scenes

An operating theatre is a space with its own rules. The air is filtered, and anyone entering wears appropriate clothing, a cap and a face mask. During a procedure the tissue lies open, without the natural protection of the skin. That is why no instrument enters the operating room without having gone through a complete, controlled sterilisation cycle.

Before the procedure, the team goes through a fixed checklist together. Who are you, which procedure is being performed, on which side, which allergies are there? Such a check is a standard in surgery, because it helps prevent mistakes.

During the procedure your blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen level are monitored continuously. After the procedure that monitoring continues in the recovery room.

The recovery room

After the procedure you rest in the recovery room. A nurse monitors you until you are sufficiently awake, your pain is under control and you can safely go home. How long that takes depends on the procedure and the anaesthesia. The operating theatre has its own exit, with the lift leading directly to the car park.

After the procedure

You go home with written instructions about wound care, pain relief, compression and movement, and with an appointment for the first check-up. You also receive a number you can call with any questions.

Get in touch in case of a fever above 38.5 degrees, a wound that becomes red, warm and increasingly painful, a swelling that suddenly increases sharply on one side, or pain that increases despite the pain relief. In case of shortness of breath or chest pain, call 112 immediately and inform your treating doctor afterwards.

An overnight stay

If your procedure requires an overnight stay, it takes place in the hospital where your doctor works. You will be told this during the consultation, together with the practical arrangements involved.

The first days at home

At home you rest a great deal, but you do not stay lying down all day. Short walks inside the house keep the circulation going. Take the pain relief as prescribed, including on the first evening, so that the pain remains under control. Eat lightly and drink enough. Do not smoke, because smoking slows down wound healing.

Put the instructions somewhere you can easily find them, together with the clinic's telephone number. If you are unsure about anything, you can contact us.

Questions you can ask

What time do I need to be at the clinic, and how long do I stay? Until when may I eat and drink? Which medication do I still take that morning? Who can I call if I have a question in the evening? When is the first check-up?

The follow-up after the procedure also takes place at the clinic. At the check-ups the doctor assesses the wound healing and the recovery, and you can raise the questions that have come up at home. Write those questions down in the meantime, so that you have them to hand at the next check-up.

Making an appointment

Are you considering a procedure and would you like to know what recovery involves in your case? Then make an appointment for a consultation, a first conversation. You can reach us on 050 97 79 30. Our clinic is located at Gruuthuselaan 7, 8020 Oostkamp.

This information is general in nature and does not replace a personal consultation.