Patients who are being treated by the medical team at Atlantic Medical Group Colorectal Surgery at Morristown will need to undergo special preparation before surgery. All patients will be required to abstain from eating or drinking anything after midnight of the day before surgery. This is a very strict rule set by set by anesthesiologists for your own safety. Some preparation that may be needed:
Pre-Op Health Optimization
A pre-operative visit with your primary care physician tells us that you are healthy for surgery. This is obtained from your primary care physician. You will need to contact your primary care physician for him or her to send a letter of medical clearance to our office. In some cases, you may also need a letter of clearance from your cardiologist.
View our Patients’ Responsibility on Reducing Surgical Morbidity and Mortality
Pre-operative Testing
These tests usually consist of some blood work and possibly an electrocardiogram. These tests can be done at our pre procedural testing center located at 435 South Street. An appointment is required at this center and you will be given a prescription needed for the tests and the number to call to schedule this appointment.
See preoperative testing instructions >
Full Bowel Preparation
Patients who are having bowel surgery will need to undergo a bowel prep prior to surgery (this is similar to the prep you have before a colonoscopy).
Doctor’s note: To facilitate the recovery from surgery it is best to optimize your health and fitness. This includes:
- Smoking cessation
- Abstinence from any type of recreational drugs or alcohol or other substances
- A healthy diet and exercise is highly recommended, especially for patients with an excess of body weight.