Preparing for Your Surgery

Operating date

In case of a planned admission, you will be called as soon as your operating date is known. You will receive this call one to two days prior to admission and in some cases on the day of admission. Unfortunately, on rare occasions it happens that a planned admission is postponed due to circumstances. You will then be informed about this as soon as possible.

Sometimes, an admission at the hospital is acute, leaving little time for preparation. In case of an emergency admission, the order of actions depends on the severity of the illness or symptom. The specialists and nurses inform you about this as much as possible.

Obtaining a Patient Pass

On your first visit to the Catharina Ziekenhuis you will need to register at the Patient Registration (Patientenregistratie) for a Patient Pass. You can find the registration following route 050. This pass will contain information relating to your identity and is necessary to have on you during all visits to the hospital. Patient Passes from other hospitals are not valid, you must register directly with us. If any of your personal details change please notify admissions before your appointment so we can update your information.

Pre-operative consultation

If you will be having a surgical procedure you will also be booked in for a consult at the department Pre-operatieve screening (POS). This consultation will assess your medical history and current medications. You will be informed if a modification in your medication schedule is warranted on the day/or days before the surgery. You will also receive information regarding preparation for procedure and information on anesthesia.

Food and drinks before surgery

You must fast before surgery. This is necessary to prevent food remnants from entering your airways should you vomit during or after surgery.

• If you are admitted before 13.00: you may not eat anything after midnight before admission. You may have a glass of water or a cup of tea (with sugar) before 06.00. You may not drink more than 200 ml;
• If you are admitted after 13.00: you may have a cracker with jam and a cup of tea (with sugar) on the morning of the admission at 07.00. You may not drink more than 200 ml. You may drink a glass of water of water or a cup of tea (with sugar) up to 10.00. You may not have more than 200 ml.