What to Expect When You Are Scheduled for Surgery

Pre-Operative Assessment

Before your surgery, you may be scheduled for a pre-operative appointment with an anesthesiologist, nurse practitioner or nurse. Your surgeon or a specially trained nurse will review your medical history to decide if you need this visit and the provider you should see.

The goal for this appointment is to help ensure your safety and that you’re fully prepared for your upcoming procedure. When possible, this appointment will be coordinated with your pre-operative visit with your surgeon or another UNC appointment.

This appointment may include blood tests, a noninvasive heart test called an electrocardiogram (EKG), or X-rays. Please bring a current list of your medications with you, including details about when you take each medication.

During this meeting, we will:

• Check your vital signs, such as your blood pressure, heart rate and temperature.
• Update your medical history and current medications.
• Discuss plans for the day of surgery.
• Review instructions for the day before and the day of the procedure. Though general instructions are provided on this page, your surgical team may have specific instructions for you, including for the use of antibacterial soap and/or surgical wipes before your procedure.

If you have questions about anesthesia, please call Pre-Procedure Services at 984-974-0250.

If you take any of the medications listed below, your surgeon will have specific instructions on how to use them before your procedure. Please review this list. If you are taking any of the following medications and they did not appear on the list you provided in your pre-operative assessment, please contact your surgeon’s office as soon as possible.

Antiplatelet Medications

• Aspirin
• Clopidogrel (Plavix)
• Ticagrelor (Brilinta)
• Prasugrel (Effient)
• Cilostazol (Pletal)

Blood Thinner Medications

• Warfarin (Coumadin)
• Heparin (Lovenox)
• Apixaban (Eliquis)
• Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)
• Edoxaban (Lixiana, Savaysa)
• Dabigatran (Pradaxa)

Weight-Loss/Diabetic Medications

GLP-1 medications are prescribed for both diabetes and weight management. If you are taking one of these medications, please let your surgical and anesthesia care teams know.

• Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda)
• Exenatide (Byetta)
• Exenatide ER (Bydureon)
• Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
• Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus)
• Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)

These medications cause your stomach to empty more slowly than normal. It’s important to have an empty stomach on the day of your surgery. If there’s food in your stomach, you could breathe it into your lungs while under anesthesia. This is called aspiration, and it can cause a serious and potentially life-threatening complication. To keep you as safe as possible, there are a few dietary changes that we would like you to make if you have taken a GLP-1 medication in the past 30 days. You do not need to stop taking your GLP-1 medication before surgery.

Beginning at 9 a.m. the day before surgery, you will need to begin a clear liquid diet. This is an earlier cutoff time than the time listed in the Day Before Surgery section of this page under Eating and Drinking Guidelines. Be sure to eat a good breakfast before 9 a.m. on the day before surgery. You may have ONLY clear liquids after that. More information on clear liquids is available in the flyer below and in the Day Before Surgery section under Eating and Drinking Guidelines.

Clear Liquids Diet [pdf]

Notification of Arrival Time

Though you will know the day of your surgery ahead of time, you will not know what time to arrive for your procedure until the day before. Arrival times can be as early as 5:30 a.m. and as late as mid-afternoon. Surgery will normally begin about two hours after your arrival time.

UNC Hospitals Pre-Procedure Services will call you on the business day before your surgery with your arrival time. If you have not received a call by 2:30 p.m., please call us at 984-974-0250.

Transportation/Responsible Adult

You are not allowed to drive home on the same day you receive any form of sedation (medicine that makes you sleepy).

If you are going home on the same day as your procedure, you must have someone age 18 or older come into your surgery location, receive your post-operative instructions and drive you home. Your instructions will include follow-up information and possibly prescriptions. If you do not have a responsible adult to drive you home, your surgery will be cancelled.

If you go home the same day as your surgery, you must have someone available for 24 hours after your procedure to check on you.

New Illness

Knowing any changes in your health will help us ensure your safety and health before your procedure. If you experience a new illness, especially respiratory illness (like flu or Covid) within a week before your scheduled surgery, please reach out to your surgeon’s clinic or call Pre-Procedure Services at 984-974-0285 to discuss your symptoms.

My UNC Chart Pre-Surgery Questionnaire

As soon as your surgery is scheduled, you will see a Pre-Surgery Questionnaire on the main page in your My UNC Chart account. It will provide us with more of your medical and surgical history. Please complete it as soon as possible so we can make sure to have that information when your chart is reviewed before your surgery.

Accommodations

Traveling for your surgery may require an overnight stay. When making your plans, you might consider these options:

State Employees Credit Union (SECU) Family House at UNC Hospitals offers affordable rooms for patients who need to stay overnight before surgery. There is complimentary transportation to UNC Hospitals, along with free parking, wireless internet access and access to kitchen and laundry facilities. Your care team can provide the referral that you will need to stay at SECU Family House. Learn more by visiting SECU Family House.

MedStay is a service that can assist with booking a local hotel that fits your and your family’s needs and preferences. Call 877-MEDSTAY (877-633-7829) or send an email to info@medstay.com.

Find Your Way with Our App

The UNC Health app can make your life a little simpler by helping you get the care you need, when and where you need it.

With the UNC Health app, you can:

• Find providers closer to home
• Navigate to appointments with GPS-enabled directions
• Drop a reminder pin at your parking space and get walking directions within most hospitals
• Securely access My UNC Chart and Virtual Care at UNC Health

Our app is available now in the App Store or the Google Play Store. Or text UNCAPP to 43506.

North Carolina Surgical Hospital and the 4th Floor Operating Rooms
101 Manning Dr.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Surgical Hospital Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU): 984-364-5097
4th floor operating rooms PACU: 984-974-6710

• Parking is in the Dogwood Deck across the street. The cost is $1.50 per hour to a maximum of $10.
• Please take your parking ticket with you from your car to pay at one of the machines near the elevators before exiting.
• Choose the middle walkway (Skywalk B) from the parking deck on the second floor when crossing above Manning Drive. That walkway goes straight to the doors of the surgical hospital. The registration desk is on your left after walking through security.
  North Carolina Surgical Hospital map [pdf]
• Valet parking is available in front of the hospital for $20 and must be paid when you arrive.
• Patients scheduled in one of the 4th floor operating rooms at N.C. Memorial Hospital should check in at the N.C. Women’s Hospital registration desk.

UNC Ambulatory Care Center
102 Mason Farm Rd.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

Surgical Center Pre-Op: 984-974-5912

• After driving through the parking booth, drive straight ahead and park in the parking lot on your right, which faces the building entrance.
• Take your parking ticket to the registration desk for validation. One car for each patient can be validated. After parking, please limit the number of times you leave through the gate, so parking won’t need to be validated multiple times.

UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus
430 Waterstone Dr.
Hillsborough, NC 27278

Front desk of Surgery department: 984-215-2436

• Free parking is available in front of the hospital.

Arrival Time

UNC Hospitals Pre-Procedure Services will call you on the business day before your surgery with your arrival time. If you have not received a call by 2:30 p.m., please call us at 984-974-0250.

Preparing for Surgery

If you have a living will or healthcare power of attorney document, bring a copy with you.

Shower and clean your body the night before surgery as instructed by your surgical team or following the directions from Pre-Procedure Services. Do not apply any skin or hair products, including deodorant, creams, lotions, makeup and hairspray. Remove any nail polish.

Eating and Drinking Guidelines

No food, milk, broth, gelatin, juice with pulp, gum or hard candy is allowed after midnight the night before surgery. This cut-off time will be earlier if you are taking a GLP-1 medication such as Ozempic or Zepbound (see the Medication Information section on this page for details).

Avoid alcohol and tobacco products for 24 hours before surgery.

Brush your teeth as usual.

If you were given bowel prep instructions, please follow those guidelines.

Most patients can have clear liquids until two hours before surgery, which is typically your scheduled arrival time. Clear liquids include water, sodas, apple juice, white grape juice, black coffee with no creamer and Pedialyte/sports drinks (except those with red or purple colors). Be sure to read the information flyer below. You will be provided with your clear liquid cut-off time when we call you the day before your surgery.

Clear Liquids Diet [pdf]

Certain medications or procedures may require that you have different instructions. Those will be given to you individually. Please follow those directions if they are provided to you.

What to Wear and Bring

• Wear non-slip shoes and clean, loose-fitting clothes. Make sure your clothes are easy to wear (keep in mind where you're having surgery). For example, don’t wear long pants that will be difficult to put back on after knee surgery.
• Bring your insurance card(s), photo ID and a form of payment.
• If you use a CPAP or BiPAP machine, please bring it with you, but leave it in your car until it is needed.
• Bring eyeglasses and hearing aids if needed, but please also bring a case for storing them safely. Do not wear contact lenses.
• If you choose to wear dentures, please do not use denture glue the morning of surgery. Bring a case for storing your dentures during the procedure.
• Do not wear jewelry of any kind, including wedding bands and piercings. Please leave other valuables and personal belongings at home.
• Please do not bring your home medications with you to the hospital unless you are staying overnight at the Ambulatory Care Center. Please bring a list of your current medications or update your medication list in My UNC Chart.

Surgery Prep

During the two hours between your arrival time and the beginning of surgery, you will:

• Register
• Have vital signs checked, such as your blood pressure, heart rate and temperature
• Change into a hospital gown and use the bathroom
• Have an IV started
• Choose one contact person to receive updates during surgery
• Possibly have lab work drawn and/or receive medications
• Meet with the members of your anesthesiology team and sign a consent (if not already done)
• Meet with the members of your surgical team and sign a consent (if not already done)
• Possibly receive a nerve block or an epidural

Visitor Information

One visitor age 18 or older may join you in pre-op, and you may have two people in the surgical waiting area while you are in surgery. Children under the age of 18 are not allowed in surgical waiting areas. Visitor restrictions are subject to change.

During Surgery

The surgeon will reach out to your contact person once surgery is done. You may still be in the operating room at this time, and it may be as long as another hour after contact from the surgeon before a family member may visit. During surgery, family members may remain in the waiting room or return at a specified time.

Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

• Within one hour of your arrival in PACU, a nurse will call your contact person with an initial update.
• Once you are stable, one visitor (age 18 or older) is allowed at the bedside. Visitors may switch one at a time, and the number of visitors may be limited to help you rest and recover.
• During this time, you will be on cardiac, oxygen and blood pressure monitors. Oxygen may be provided as needed.
• We will carefully check your pain and give you treatment to help manage it.
• Remember that PACU can be busy and noisy. Alarms and monitors are part of routine care.
• The time it takes to move you to your next room may depend on when a room is available. Some patients may stay overnight in PACU if inpatient rooms are full. Family members may not stay overnight in the PACU.
• Intensive care unit (ICU) patients may be transferred directly to an ICU bed from the operating room rather than be taken to the PACU.

Discharge and Admission

Discharge to home: A responsible adult must be with you to hear the discharge instructions and drive you home. This person must be available to check on you for the first 24 hours you are home.

Inpatient admission: If you are being admitted, your family will be updated on transfer timing and next steps.

Information Specific to the UNC Ambulatory Care Center (ACC)

If you are staying overnight at the ACC:

• Bring your current medications in the original bottles. Do not bring vitamins or supplements.
• You may have one overnight visitor who is at least 18 years old.
• Food cannot be given to family members. However, they may order from a food delivery service. There is a small café available during the day for family members. The cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. but stops serving hot food at 1 p.m.

North Carolina Surgical Hospital and the 4th Floor Operating Rooms

• Visitors are allowed in most inpatient areas at UNC Hospitals from the hours of 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. One visitor will be allowed in most inpatient areas from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. After-hours and overnight visits in the inpatient areas require nursing approval and an identification badge.
• Visitors will need to check themselves for any signs of illness before coming in and should not visit if sick or having signs or symptoms of illness. UNC Hospitals may limit visits if a visitor’s behavior could affect patient care or safety, or if the visitor displays disruptive behavior or refuses to follow policies.
• Cranberry Corner Gift Shop offers gifts, greeting cards, snacks, flowers and more that can be delivered to you. Call 984-974-8740.
• The UNC Hospitals Central Outpatient Pharmacy is on the ground floor of the N.C. Basnight Cancer Hospital. Call 984-974-2374 to have prescriptions filled. You may also refill your prescriptions at My UNC Chart.
• Information desks are located throughout UNC Hospitals buildings. For questions or additional information, you can also contact Guest Services at 984-974-0709.

UNC Ambulatory Care Center

• Visitors will need to check themselves for any signs of illness before coming in and should not visit if sick or having signs or symptoms of illness. UNC Hospitals may limit visits if a visitor’s behavior could affect patient care or safety, or if the visitor displays disruptive behavior or refuses to follow policies.
• Visitors are allowed during all hours that the center is open. One or two visitors are allowed in the Pre-Op, PACU and Short-Stay Unit. One visitor age 18 or older may stay overnight in the Short-Stay Unit. Final discretion depends on space availability and patient needs.
• Courtyard Cafe is in a separate building. Exit through the second-floor doors, and it will be on your right. The hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hot food is served until 1 p.m.
• You can fill prescriptions at the UNC Hospitals Central Outpatient Pharmacy in the Basnight Cancer Hospital by calling 984-974-2374. Curbside pickup is available at the Manning Drive entrance to the hospital until 5:30 p.m. You may also refill your prescriptions online at My UNC Chart. If you choose to have your prescriptions filled at your local pharmacy, make sure you know when your pharmacy closes and whether having your prescriptions filled that day will be possible.

UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus

• Visitors are allowed in most inpatient areas from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. One visitor will be allowed in most inpatient areas from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. After-hours and overnight visits in the inpatient areas require nursing approval and an identification badge.
• Visitors will need to check themselves for any signs of illness before coming in and should not visit if sick or having signs or symptoms of illness. UNC Hospitals may limit visits if a visitor’s behavior could affect patient care or safety, or if the visitor displays disruptive behavior or refuses to follow policies.
• The cafe is available from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The gift shop is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on holidays and weekends.
• UNC Hillsborough Outpatient Pharmacy can be found on the first floor, to the right of the entrance. You can call the pharmacy at 984-215-2060.