Pre-Admission Testing Center

The scheduling secretary in the Thoracic Surgery Office will give you the date and time to report for your pre-admission testing.

On the day of your appointment, you should report directly to the Pre-Admission Testing Center. The Center is located in the hallway just across from the ambulatory care lobby (at 45 Francis St.). The following routine pre-admission procedures will be performed: electrocardiogram, urinalysis, and blood tests.

You may or may not have a chest x-ray.

Next you can expect to receive your pre-operative workup by Nursing, Surgery, and Anesthesia.

The nurse will review the Nursing History Questionnaire with you and ask a few more questions. Familiarizing the nurse with the details of your medical history and of your feelings about the upcoming surgery will better enable us to meet your specific needs while you are in the hospital. The nurse in Admitting will explain the pre-operative and post-operative routine to you and your family. This will give you a better idea of what to expect during your stay at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
A member of the Thoracic Surgery Service (either a resident or a physician's assistant) will interview you and perform a physical exam. He or she will ask you to sign the Consent For Surgery, after the procedure and associated risks have been fully explained.
An anesthesiologist assigned to your case will also visit with you to obtain information about you that is pertinent to his or her role in your care. Once you have received an explanation of the anesthesia and its associated risks, you will be asked to sign a separate Consent for Anesthesia.
The chest physiotherapist will evaluate you if this was not previously done in the Thoracic Surgery Office.
The pre-admission procedure usually takes approximately three hours, but it may take longer. For example, if the anesthesiologist is in the Operating Room doing another case, he or she may not be able to see you promptly. We ask for your patience during this process, as work performed in the hospital is not always predictable and delays do occur. You may want to take some time to have lunch before checking in with the Admitting Office.

On the day before your surgery, you will be allowed to eat and drink until midnight, but after midnight you may not have anything by mouth. NOTE: If you have been on medications at home, your doctor will determine which ones you will continue to take prior to surgery. If you need these medications after midnight, you may take them with a small amount of water.

We cannot assume responsibility for your propery. All valuables such as money, credit cards, and jewelry should be left at home or sent home with family members. If this is not possible, valuables can be stored in the Cashier's Office (in the main lobby) until you are ready to retrieve them. Wedding bands must be removed before surgery. If you are unable to remove your band, it may be necessary to remove it with a ring cutter.

You will know before leaving the hospital on your pre-admission day when and where to report on the day of surgery.

Comments about this website may be directed to: kzahner@partners.org

NOTICE: This email is not for medically related issues. Comments or concerns regarding patient-related care should be directed to the Thoracic Surgery Clinic at 617-732-6824.

Division of Thoracic Surgery
Brigham and Women's Hospital
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115