UAB Callahan Eye Hospital Day of Surgery
Welcome to UAB Callahan Eye Hospital We are pleased and honored that you ve chosen the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital for your vision needs. We re dedicated to making your surgery experience as comfortable and pleasant as possible. The UAB Callahan Eye Hospital is the only facility in the state of Alabama specializing in diagnosis and treatment of the eye, and one of the few facilities in the world entirely dedicated to advancements in ophthalmology. The hospital treats more than 20,000 patients each year and offers the only 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week eye emergency room in the state of Alabama and the only Level I Ocular Trauma Center in the region. With exceptional health care professionals, surgery suites, and state-of-the-art equipment, the hospital is designed to offer excellence in surgical eye care. If you have any questions, please give us a call at (205) 325-8100. It s our goal to make sure you re as comfortable as possible before, during, and after your visit. C. Brian Spraberry President and CEO, Callahan Eye Hospital
Before Your Surgery telephone calls from the HOSPITAL You can expect to receive three phone calls before your scheduled surgery. 1. Three to five days prior to your arrival, our admissions staff will call you to verify your personal information for registration and billing purposes. They also will inform you of any co-pays or deductibles currently due. 2. As early as three days before your surgery, you ll receive a call from one of our preoperative nurses to obtain information about your medical history and medications, as well as to give you pre-operative instructions. This call may take up to 30 minutes. When the nurse calls, please have information about all current medications (you ll need to read the label to the nurse), your medical history, and the names and phone numbers of your current doctors. Please tell your physician s office if you need assistance in answering these questions so they can arrange a time for us to call when you have someone available to help. The nurse may ask you to obtain additional information from your doctors and bring it with you. 3. The day before your surgery, the hospital Admissions Office will call you to confirm your arrival time for surgery. Please call the Admissions Office to receive your arrival time if you haven t been called prior to 4:00 p.m. the day before your surgery. The Admissions Office can be reached by calling (205) 325-8610 Monday through Friday, 5:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. After 4:30 p.m. or on weekends, please call the hospital s main number at (205) 325-8100. Your arrival time is not the scheduled time of your surgery. Patients are scheduled to arrive early to allow time for proper pre-operative evaluation on the day of surgery. Although we make every attempt to keep waiting time prior to surgery to a minimum, some delays, such as emergency surgery or complicated procedures, take longer than the anticipated time. Please arrange your schedule so that you do not have the added stress of a tight schedule. You could be here most of the day, depending on your type of procedure. It is not uncommon to be here longer than the time the physician tells you because of changes that can occur during the day.
Pre-SUrgical testing Information about your health is the most important thing our clinical staff needs to know before your surgery. Your surgeon s office has a list of required documents that must be obtained from your other doctors for our review prior to your surgery. However, if you have a copy of any clinical document, please bring it with you on the day of surgery. InTErprETEr ServICES Both foreign language and sign language interpreters can be available during your stay at our hospital. Please inform the staff at your surgeon s office if you will require these services. WHAT YOUr DOCTOr Needs to KnOW If you have allergies to foods or medications or dyes used in diagnostic tests If you have a latex allergy The name(s) and dosage(s) of medication(s), including over-the-counter and herbal medications, that you take. Please bring all medications that you take regularly with you on the day of surgery. If you smoke If you drink alcohol If you use recreational or street drugs If you have other health problems, such as diabetes, heart problems, or high blood pressure If you have had previous surgeries and anesthetics If you have had a reaction to previous anesthesia If it is possible that you are pregnant
CanCELIng a PrOCEDUre Report any changes in your health to your surgeon s office. This includes cough, cold, or fever. Please call the Admissions Office at (205) 325-8610 or the hospital switchboard at (205)325-8100 if you cannot keep your surgery appointment. You will need to contact your doctor in order to reschedule your operation. SCHEDULE ConfirmATIOn Please call the hospital at (205) 325-8100 or (205) 325-8350 if you have not been contacted by 8:00 p.m. the night before your surgery. Preparing for Surgery WHAT to EAT or Drink the NigHT before Surgery Adults Do not eat or drink anything past midnight on the night before your surgery (this includes mints and chewing gum). Do not smoke, chew, or dip any tobacco products past midnight on the night before your surgery. You may take your medications as instructed by the pre-operative nurse. Do not take any diuretics (water pills) or diabetic medications (insulin, etc.) on the morning of surgery. You may brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash, but do not swallow the toothpaste or mouthwash. Children under age 6 years Children may eat and drink in their usual fashion until midnight on the night prior to surgery.
Children may have only clear liquids (water, Pedialyte, or apple juice) up to two hours prior to the assigned arrival time to the hospital. No formula, breast milk, or food should be given to the child after midnight prior to the morning of surgery. Please note any further instructions you may be given as the parent of a patient younger than age 6. On the Day of Surgery ESCOrt You must be accompanied by an adult family member or friend. You will not be allowed to drive yourself home. You will not be admitted unless you have made proper arrangements for an escort upon your departure. We cannot allow you to leave if you are not accompanied by another adult to drive you home. Please limit the number of family or friends coming with you to the hospital to two (2) people, as space is limited in our waiting area and parking deck. Only one person will be able to accompany you to the pre-operative holding area of our Ambulatory Surgical Unit and please do not bring children unless child is the patient. Before YOU LEAve Home Wear loose, comfortable clothes that are easy to remove, preferably a shirt or blouse that buttons at the front. Do not bring robes, pajamas, or slippers. Leave all valuable items at home, particularly jewelry, watches, and excess money. If you wear contact lenses, glasses, dentures, or hearing aids, please bring a case so your family member or friend can keep them for you during surgery. Bring all your medications from home in their original containers. Take all of your usual morning medications before coming to the hospital, except
for any diabetes medications (insulin, etc.) or any diuretics (water pills). Your doctor will resume these medications after surgery. Do not wear makeup or fingernail polish. Remember, do not eat or drink anything after midnight. You may brush your teeth and rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash, but do not swallow. Remember, the arrival time you ve been given isn t the scheduled time of your surgery. Patients are scheduled to arrive with time for proper evaluation, so please do your best to arrive on time. Parking The UAB Callahan Eye Hospital has a dedicated parking lot for patients and visitors, and you may enter the building on every level of the deck. Deck levels 1, 2, 3, and 6 have handicap parking spaces with a wheelchair-accessible entrance. However, you may park on any level. If you need assistance entering the hospital, have someone drop you off in the drive at the entrance on 8th Avenue (University Boulevard). You can enter the hospital at this lobby entrance. However, please note that your driver must use the deck to park. Automobiles cannot be parked in this drive you will be asked to move your car if it is there too long. We offer free parking to our day of surgery patients. Patients will be issued a white ticket voucher that will allow you or your driver to park in our deck for free on the day of your surgery. Be sure to give the white ticket, along with the blue parking ticket received at the entrance to the deck, to the parking attendant as you exit the deck onto 7th Avenue. The white ticket is valid only for the day of your surgery, and only one ticket will be given per patient. All other family members may park in the deck at a validated parking rate. If you leave during the late evening hours after 8:00 p.m., or on a weekend or holiday, be sure to ask the security staff for a gate token, or one could be obtained at the Emergency Department window. This token will allow you to exit the deck.
At the Hospital On the day of surgery, you ll go to the Guest Relations desk in the lobby of the first floor of the hospital. The receptionist will check your arrival into our system and then direct you to the Ambulatory Surgical Unit (ASU) on the 2nd floor of the hospital. If there are other patients ahead of you, you may be asked to wait in the lobby until your assigned bed is available. Please do not bring children, unless that child is the patient. You will be assigned a bed (stretcher) and admitted to the outpatient surgery unit upon your arrival to the 2nd floor ASU pre-operative holding area. This stretcher is designed specifically for eye surgery, so you will remain on it throughout the pre-operative, surgical, and recovery periods. You will be asked to change into a gown, robe, and slippers after your admission. You will be given a bag to hold your clothing. That bag will remain on your stretcher with you during your stay in our ASU. Nurses, laboratory personnel, and members of the anesthesia team will interview and assess you at your assigned bed space. You may be asked the same question several times. Please be patient we use this method to confirm that all important information is properly addressed. Specifically, your name and date of birth will be asked many times by hospital staff. You will be asked to sign a consent form for surgery. Your surgeon will have discussed the details of your operation with you prior to your arrival at our hospital. If you have any questions, you ll be able to talk to your physician before surgery. Don t be shy if you are unsure of something, we need to know. Eye drops will be administered if ordered, and an intravenous (IV) needle will be placed and secured in an arm or hand for medications and fluids. You will be introduced to your patient advocate, who will ask you if you need anything as well as keep you informed of delays as we learn of them. This person is here to serve you and address any needs or concerns.
Anesthesia An anesthesia team, composed of an anesthesiologist and a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CrnA), will be responsible for your comfort before, during, and after your surgical procedure. Prior to surgery, that team will meet with you to discuss and answer your questions regarding anesthesia. Please inform them of any problems that you have had with anesthesia. The anesthesia team will manage your anesthesia as well as monitor your vital signs in the operating room. There are several anesthesia methods, and the choice of anesthetic is based on the surgical procedure as well as your condition and medical history. General anesthesia includes the use of medicines and medical gases to provide and maintain anesthesia. General anesthesia requires the use of techniques to support your breathing. Regional anesthesia, also known as a nerve block, is provided by an injection of medicine through a small needle to numb the area around the eye. It may be combined with sedation to induce a light sleep during the injection. Monitored anesthesia care (MAC) consists of medications that cause drowsiness or sedation. You will be able to communicate with staff if necessary while under this type of anesthesia. This method allows for a shorter recovery period as well as a reduced incidence of nausea and vomiting after anesthesia. The majority of the surgical procedures at UAB Callahan Eye Hospital are performed with monitored anesthesia care. In the Operating Room You will be transported to the operating room by our patient care assistant. Once you are in the operating room, a member of the surgical team will ask your name and date of birth and confirm your surgical procedure. A warm blanket will be provided for your comfort. Your vital signs will be monitored through a blood pressure cuff placed on your arm, adhesive pads placed on your chest to monitor your heart function, and a clip placed on your finger to measure the oxygen level in your blood. During the
operation, the blood pressure cuff will inflate automatically at intervals and you will feel pressure on that arm. You also will be given oxygen during your surgery by either a mask or nasal prongs, depending upon whether you will be given a general anesthetic or sedation. Your breathing will be monitored and recorded through those devices. After Your Surgery You ll be taken to the peri-anesthesia care unit (PACU, recovery room) after your surgery, where you ll be monitored by anesthesia and nursing staff. One family member will be contacted to come to PACU after you are fully recovered. The nurse in PACU will review your home-care instructions with you and/or your family member or friend remember, please don t be shy about any questions you may have. Your family member or friend will be given directions on where to go to pick you up and will be able to go get your vehicle. You then will be discharged from the ASU and escorted to your car. About one to two days after your surgery, you ll receive a phone call from a member of our anesthesia staff. Our anesthesia team is interested in your responses regarding your sedation, anesthesia, and treatment by our staff. They also will be interested in any suggestions for improvement in our admission process and patient care. If you miss or do not receive the call, please telephone the post-anesthesia call room at (205) 325-8206 or (205) 325-8290 at any time to leave a message about the best time for us to return your call. You may receive a patient satisfaction questionnaire to complete and return. Please let us know what we can do better and what we do well.
Pain Management Pain is not always experienced after eye surgery because its management is begun prior to leaving the operating room in the form of nerve blocks or IV medication. However, don t be afraid to ask for pain medicine if you re hurting. Managing pain is an important part of getting well. Always tell your nurse or doctor if you are having pain. We ll ask you to rate pain on a scale of zero to ten (0-10). Describing your pain using a number helps us determine whether the pain medicine is working. It is very important that you help us measure your pain effectively. Tell the staff how you are feeling. Let them know the effect of the pain management therapy. Don t worry about being a bother pain can be a sign of problems in your treatment that we need to address. We want you to be comfortable and to inform us of any problems you experience in your care and therapy. Don t worry about becoming addicted to pain medicines given to you in the PACU or prescribed to you after surgery. It isn t likely to happen unless you already have a problem with drug abuse. Please inform your anesthesia team and your surgeon if you do have a history of drug abuse. Discharge Instructions If you were admitted for ambulatory surgery, you will be discharged as soon as you are cleared by the anesthesiologist and your escort has arrived to pick you up. Please follow your physician s instructions regarding rest, medication, and followup appointments. Contact your surgeon if you are concerned about your discharge instructions or have any questions. Contact our Emergency Department at (205) 325-8254, or (205) 325-8350 after office hours, if you have an urgent situation and are concerned.
UAB Callahan Eye Hospital (205) 325-8100 1720 University Boulevard Birmingham, AL 35233 Admissions: (205) 325-8610 Scheduling: (205) 488-0717 or (205) 488-0716 Emergency Department: (205) 325-8254 or (205) 325-8350 Post-Anesthesia Call Room: (205) 325-8206 or (205) 325-8290 One Way Entrance Children's Harbor Future Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children Emergency Entrance Children s Hospital Hospital Entrance Center for Psychiatric Medicine Women & Infants Center P School of Optometry Women & Infants Ambulance Entrance one way Spain Rehab. P N 5 th Avenue South Hazelrig- Salter Radiation Oncology Center Limited Valet & Self Park Jim Limbaugh Family Park of Hope 6 th Avenue South Civitan Research Center Sparks Center 7 th Avenue South P Callahan Eye Hospital University Boulevard Ambulance Entrance 18 th Street 18 th Street Hospital Main Entrance Hospital Parking 4th Ave UAB Hospital North Pavilion Emergency Entrance Medical Education/Russell Building West Pavilion Boshell Diabetes Bldg Veterans Affairs Medical Center To I-65 Marriott Courtyard Wallace Tumor Institute Spain Wallace Building M.C. Spain Audit. 19 th Street Discharge Entrance 19 th Street U