Before You Arrive at UPMC St. Margaret

Helping You Prepare for Your Hospital Stay or Same-Day Surgery

On this page:

• Presurgery Testing
• Preadmission Appointment at St. Margaret
• Before Surgery
• The Day of Surgery

Presurgery Testing

If your surgeon ordered testing, you must do them in advance at either UPMC St. Margaret or your doctor’s office. You can schedule lab testing within 90 days of your surgery.

• If you had pretesting done by your doctor, have results faxed to your surgeon’s office one week before your surgery.
• You may need to stop taking some medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements before surgery. Check with your surgeon.

Top of page

Preadmission Appointment at UPMC St. Margaret

Your preadmission appointment may take up to 2 hours.

During your visit, our team will gather your medical history and conduct any necessary tests.

We will validate your parking for a discounted rate during your visit.

What to bring to your preadmission visit

• Your medical and surgical history.
• List of all prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
• List of all allergies.
• Names and telephone numbers of your current primary care provider and other medical specialists involved in your health care.

What to expect during preadmission testing

During your visit, a nurse practitioner or physician assistant will:

• Examine you.
• Ask you questions about your health.
• Complete any tests your surgeon requires.

These tests may vary, based on your health and type of surgery, but may include:

• Vital signs
• Blood or urine tests
• EKGs
• Chest x-rays

Top of page

Before Surgery at UPMC St. Margaret

A nurse will complete a telephone assessment 24 to 72 hours before surgery. Please have your list of medicines and your medical history ready to discuss with the nurse.

Allow 20 minutes for the phone assessment.

The nurse will provide you with:

• Dietary instructions.
• What medicines to take the day of surgery.
• Any other information you need before your surgery.

The night before your surgery, do not drink any alcoholic beverages.

Advance directive

If you have not already done so, you may want to consider drafting an advance directive before your surgery or admission to the hospital.

An advance directive is a written document that expresses your wishes for medical care if you become incompetent or incapacitated.

These include:

• Living wills
• Health care agents
• Powers of attorney

Learn more about advance directives in UPMC's general patient resources section.

Top of page

Day of Surgery at UPMC St. Margaret

Please review the following guidelines for your day of surgery at UPMC St. Margaret:

1. If your doctor instructed you to take a medicine, do so with a small sip of water.
2. Do not apply hair spray, scented body lotion, or perfume.
3. Do not wear nail polish or makeup.
4. Remove all body piercings.
5. Wear loose comfortable clothing; button-down shirts are best.
6. Avoid candy or chewing gum the day of surgery.
7. Leave all valuables and jewelry — including watches, wedding rings, necklaces, and earrings — at home.
8. If you have sleep apnea, bring your CPAP machine with you.
9. If you wear dentures or a hearing aid, bring storage cases for them.

Please arrange for a responsible adult, over the age of 18, to:

• Drive you home after surgery.
• Assist you at home for the first 24 hours after surgery.

Read “A Guide to Your Surgery at UPMC St. Margaret” (PDF) to learn more about your day of surgery.

Top of page