Pre-op preparation: What tests and exams should I expect?

Hey everyone,
I haven't been able to find a single thread here about what to do leading up to surgery.
Since the staff at our local hospital can be pretty stern—kind of intimidating, really—I've got a ton of questions swirling around my head. It’s actually getting a bit stressful because I keep getting conflicting info from different people, and my procedure date is creeping up fast...
For instance, if my surgery is set for March 21st, when should I actually go in for my blood work, urine tests, and those heart and lung screenings? Is doing it 10 days beforehand cutting it too close?

And does anyone know how long it usually takes to get results back from a local clinic?

Thanks so much, everyone.

restlesspuma15 said:Hey everyone,
I couldn't find a single unified thread covering pre-op instructions.
Since the staff at my hospital is pretty cold and standoffish, I'm left with a ton of questions. To make matters worse, I’m getting conflicting info from different people, and my surgery date is creeping up fast...
For example, if my surgery is scheduled for March 21st, when should I head in for my blood work, urinalysis, and heart and lung screenings? Is ten days out too early?

How long does it usually take to get results back from a local clinic?

Thanks, y'all.

It isn't too early, but I'd be careful about rushing the cardiac stuff because the wait times for appointments can be brutal. I actually lucked out and got squeezed in ahead of schedule because they had a last-minute opening, but that was before the current centralized scheduling system went into effect, so I'm not sure how the backlog looks now. Usually, chest X-ray results come back within a day or two depending on how fast the radiologist turns them around—same goes for the heart tests if there's a cardiologist on-site to sign off immediately. As for blood and urine, you'll typically have those results by the next day.

Angela Wright said:It’s not too early, though I am a little worried you might need to hurry things up regarding the heart stuff since there's usually a wait for those appointments. I was actually pretty lucky—they let me skip ahead because they had a sudden opening—but that was before everything moved to the centralized scheduling system, so I'm not entirely sure how it works now. Usually, the chest X-ray results come back in a day or two, depending on when the radiologist gets around to writing them up... same goes for the heart reports if there's a cardiologist on site to sign off immediately. As for blood and urine tests, those are typically ready by the next day.

Thanks! I'm heading out tomorrow to tackle all these tests. 🙂
Oh, and about the EKG and ultrasound—my primary care doctor mentioned that you don't actually schedule those specific ones in advance; you just show up in the morning and wait to be seen. I really hope she isn't mistaken about that part.

restlesspuma15 said:Hey everyone,
I couldn't find a dedicated thread regarding pre-op instructions.
Since our hospital staff is incredibly rigid, I have a million questions swirling in my head. To make matters worse, I’m getting conflicting information from different people, and my surgery date is creeping closer...
For instance, if my surgery is scheduled for March 21st, when should I go in for my blood work, urinalysis, and heart/lung screenings? Is ten days prior too early?
And how long does it typically take to get results back from the local clinic?
Thanks, everyone.

There's no point asking the hospital staff to explain things—you have your own primary care doctor for that.
Ten days isn't too early. Generally speaking, results come back the same day.

Angela Wright said:It's not too early,but I'm worried you might have to rush the cardiac stuff because the wait times for appointments are brutal.I was lucky and they squeezed me in because they had a cancellation, but that was before the centralized scheduling system went live, so I'm not sure what the current situation is. Usually, chest X-ray results are ready in a day or two, depending on how fast the radiologist writes them up. Same goes for the heart scans—if there's a cardiologist on site, they might write it up immediately. As for blood and urine, those results are usually ready by the next day.

He’s talking about the chest X-ray, which covers both the heart and lungs. It's essentially the same thing.

restlesspuma15 said:Thanks! I'm heading out tomorrow to tackle all these tests.🙂
Regarding the EKG and ultrasound, my GP told me you don't actually book appointments for those; you just show up in the morning and wait. I hope she's right.

Why do you need an ultrasound?
You don't make appointments for X-rays or EKGs.

A few firsthand observations regarding healthcare in Washington, D.C.:

- Routine blood work ordered through your primary care physician’s office via an internal referral typically yields results by the following day.
- A secondary blood test, such as a coagulogram at Petrov via the American Red Cross, usually involves drawing the blood on the same day you arrive, with results ready within a couple of days.
- Regarding chest X-rays at the health clinic on Lagrange, we managed to get it done the same day, though they had a scheduling gap. We happened to drop in right then; there are still other locations where you can get this done. The results aren't instantaneous, but everything seems to wrap up within three to four days.
- For an EKG at the Heart Station on Drašković, the process requires booking an appointment at the counter first. The wait isn't excessive—perhaps about a week. It might be more efficient to give them a call ahead of time to see what their current availability looks like.

In the event that an EKG cannot be completed in time or if the results are no longer current, the hospital can simply repeat the tests prior to the actual surgery. The same logic applies to blood work, which generally needs to be no more than a week old.
The chest X-ray remains valid for up to six months.

This was the experience for a member of my immediate family; we simply followed the doctor's instructions to the letter.

vividsailor7 said:N

He’s talking about a chest X-ray, which covers both the heart and lungs—it's essentially the same thing.

I was actually thinking about an EKG. Usually, you're stuck waiting forever for those when you're prepping for surgery, but I managed to get pushed through because someone else canceled. I definitely lucked out. I went over to the Heart Station in Siget.

copperlynx22 said:Fresh experiences for those in Washington, D.C.:

- Bloodwork at the local clinic where your primary care doctor is—if you have an internal referral, they can often get results back by the next day.
- Another blood test over at Petrov, specifically at the American Red Cross (for a coagulogram)—you go in, get the blood drawn, and the results usually pop up within a couple of days.
- A chest X-ray at the Lagrange health center; we actually had it done the same day, though they had a sudden opening. We just happened to stumble upon it right then. There are still other places where you can squeeze this in. We had to come back later for the actual report, but it wasn't ready instantly—maybe took 3 or 4 days.
- An EKG at the Heart Station on Drašković—they require you to book an appointment at the counter first, but the wait isn't terrible, maybe about a week. Honestly, you should probably call them ahead of time to see what they tell you.

If they can't get the EKG done in time, or if the results aren't recent enough, they can always redo them at the hospital right before the surgery itself. The same goes for blood tests; those need to be no more than about a week old.
A chest X-ray is good for up to six months.

That’s how it went for my immediate family; we just followed the doctor's orders to the letter.

Actually, you can handle all of this with a single referral, and you can even get everything done in one spot—the hospital.
Coagulation tests can also be done at any hospital; if the primary physician doesn't list general biochemistry, make sure they specify it on a red referral slip.
As for the chest X-ray, I’ve heard from someone that there’s no wait at the Šaringrad or Pulmonary clinics, but who knows if things have changed since then.

Angela Wright said:I was thinking about the EKG; normally, you have to wait quite a while, which was the case when I went in for my surgery. But I got lucky because someone else canceled, so they squeezed me in. I went to the Heart Station in Siget.

At some hospitals, you don't even need an appointment.