Your Surgery at MSK's Memorial Hospital

This information explains what you can expect during your surgery at Memorial Hospital, MSK’s main hospital. Read this before your surgery so you know what to do and what to expect. Remember to also review the educational resources your nurse gave you.

Before your surgery

Note the time of your surgery

A staff member will call you after 2 p.m. the day before your surgery. If your surgery is scheduled for a Monday, they’ll call you the Friday before. If you do not get a call by 7 p.m., call 212-639-5014.

The staff member will tell you what time to get to the hospital for your surgery. They’ll also remind you where to go.

This will be one of these places:

• Presurgical Center (PSC) on the 2nd floor
  Take the M elevator to the 2nd floor.
• Presurgical Center (PSC) on the 6th floor
  Tale the B elevator to the 6th floor.
• Admissions Department
  Ground floor (by the front desk)

All of these are at 1275 York Ave. (between East 67^th and East 68^th Streets). Visit www.msk.org/parking for parking information and directions to all MSK locations.

The day of your surgery

What to expect

Many staff members will ask you to say and spell your name and birth date. This is for your safety. People with the same or a similar name may be having surgery on the same day.

We’ll give you a hospital gown, robe, and nonskid socks to wear when it’s time to change for surgery.

Meet with a nurse

You’ll meet with a nurse before surgery. Tell them the dose of any medicines you took after midnight (12 a.m.) and the time you took them. Make sure to include prescription and over-the-counter medicines, patches, and creams.

Your nurse may place an intravenous (IV) line in one of your veins, usually in your arm or hand. If your nurse does not place the IV, your anesthesiologist (A-nes-THEE-zee-AH-loh-jist) will do it in the operating room.

Meet with an anesthesiologist

You’ll also meet with an anesthesiologist before surgery. They will:

• Review your medical history with you.
• Ask if you’ve had any problems with anesthesia in the past. This includes nausea (feeling like you’re going to throw up) or pain.
• Talk with you about your comfort and safety during your surgery.
• Talk with you about the kind of anesthesia you’ll get.
• Answer questions you have about anesthesia.

Information for family and friends

‌ We sometimes update our visitor policy to keep our patients and staff safe and healthy. Go to www.msk.org/visit for the most up-to-date information.

To learn more about what to expect on the day your friend or family member is having surgery, read Information for Family and Friends for the Day of Surgery.

After your surgery

You will be in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) when you wake up after surgery. Depending on the type of surgery you had, you may spend the night in the PACU, move to a hospital room, or go home.

Your nurse will review your discharge instructions with you before you leave the hospital.

The day after you go home, a member of your healthcare team will call you. They’ll ask how you’re feeling and answer any questions.