UCLA Health - Getting Ready for Endocrine Surgery | UCLA Endocrine Center

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Prepare for endocrine surgery by confirming your date and location, completing pre-operative medical checks about three weeks ahead, stopping solid food eight hours before arrival, and arriving about two hours early. The video is a general preparation guide from UCLA endocrine surgeon Dr. Michael Yay, who notes that patients should write down their questions and expect a call from the operating room nursing staff the afternoon before surgery.

Key Points

• Logistics first: the scheduler helps choose one of three UCLA locations (UCLA Surgery Center in Medical Plaza 200 in Westwood, Ronald Reagan UCLA in Westwood, or UCLA Santa Monica Hospital at Santa Monica Boulevard and 15th Street).
• Medical clearance is needed: a primary care pre-operative history and physical, a cardiologist visit for heart disease, and anesthesiology evaluation for complex conditions.
• Insurance authorization should be settled well in advance to avoid financial stress.
• Fasting rules are strict: a violation of solid food or milk-containing drink timing can lead to postponement or cancellation.
• Readiness check: lingering doubts or many unanswered questions may mean you are not ready, and you should tell the office early so a follow-up or video visit can be scheduled.

Details Worth Noting

• Concrete instructions:
  • Write down major questions before your surgeon visit, since they are easy to forget.
  • Once a date is set, see your primary care doctor about three weeks before surgery for a pre-operative history and physical; if you have heart disease, also see your regular cardiologist; if you have complex conditions, expect an anesthesiology evaluation and testing.
  • Stop all solid food eight hours before your scheduled arrival time. Anything not see-through counts as solid, including juice with pulp, milk products like coffee with cream, and smoothies.
  • You may drink clear liquids until two hours before your scheduled arrival time.
  • Take medications with a small sip of water, ideally two or more hours before arrival.
  • Arrive about two hours before the planned operation time, since surgeons may call you in earlier. If you live more than one hour away, plan to be in the West Los Angeles area at least three hours before surgery time.
  • Expect a call from operating room nursing staff the afternoon before surgery covering evening and morning instructions, arrival time, and visitation policies.
  • Eat a healthy diet with lean protein to support wound healing, and aim for about 20 minutes of exercise daily to prepare your heart and lungs.
• The video says there is no special pre-surgery diet beyond a healthy, protein-containing one.
• Insurance issues are meant to be resolved well in advance, so the process is not stressful close to the operation.
• For questions beyond the video, the video directs viewers to contact the UCLA Endocrine Center.

Bottom Line

Surgery preparation is mostly about timing: complete medical clearance and insurance early, follow strict fasting cutoffs, and show up early with your medications and questions ready. Because the video describes general guidance, your own surgical team's instructions should be followed for your case.