The Powell Law Group - Personal Injury, Corporate & Municipal Law

Surgical Checklist

Below are some things patients can do to reduce their risk of infection from surgery.

Before Surgery:

Ask if surgery is absolutely necessary.
Stop tobacco use at least thirty (30) days before surgery
Ask to keep your preoperative hospital stay as short as possible
Avoid elective surgery if you have an existing infection; postpone any surgeries until infection is treated and resolved
Make sure the surgical site is not shaved the day before; if hair must be removed, request that electric clippers be used right before operation
Request an antiseptic bath or shower the night before surgery
Check to see if you will get a preventive dose of antibiotics an hour before surgery
Ask that people in the operating room be restricted to necessary medical personnel only
Request that operating staff follow sterilization practices - and that no one have artificial fingernails or current infections
Make sure that the operating room will be ventilated so that air flows out but not in during surgery
Make sure there are no plans to use reprocessed surgical blades, catheters and other single-use medical devices

After Surgery:

Make sure your antibiotics are discontinued within twenty-four (24) hours after the operation
Advise doctor of any fever, weight loss, pain, ooze or swelling at site
For up to two years after the operation, take antibiotics after joint surgery or invasive procedures such as dental work

Learn more about how to protect you and your family through the many articles in our Tips and Newsletter Archives below.

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DISCLAIMER: The Powell Law Group, P.C. only provides legal advice after having entered into an attorney-client relationship, which our web site specifically does not create. Only after having entered into a written, signed agreement with The Powell Law Group, P.C. will an attorney-client relationship have been created. It is imperative that any action taken be done on advice of counsel. Because every case is different, the descriptions of awards and cases previously handled are not meant to be a guarantee of success.