Pre-sedation Instructions

To minimize the risks for difficulties or complications with your procedural sedation, we provide patients with the following set of pre-operative instructions.

*These instructions are provided for your own safety. If the instructions have not been adhered to, your procedure will be rescheduled, and a non-compliance charge may be applied to your account.

1. Clothing: Please wear loose-fitting clothing to your sedation appointment. A short-sleeved shirt is recommended to allow for blood pressure measurement. You may wear a sweatshirt over the t-shirt, but it should open completely at the front (i.e., cardigan or zip-up sweatshirt).
   
   
2. Diet: Do not eat or drink anything for 8-hours prior to your procedural sedation appointment. The only exception is that you should drink 2 large glasses of clear fluid (e.g., water, Gatorade, ginger ale, apple juice, etc.) up to 2-hours prior to your scheduled starting time. A period of 2-hours is required to clear this fluid from your stomach, which plumps-up the veins and facilitates IV insertion. Examples of fluids which you should AVOID include: orange juice with pulp, milk, cream, protein shakes, etc.
   
   
3. Home medications: You may take your usual medications with small sips of water. Exceptions include blood thinners, sedatives (e.g., Ativan/Lorazepam), and narcotics (e.g., Tylenol #3, Oxycodone, Tramadol, Hydromorphone, etc.). If you take Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) please stop this medication 1- week before surgery and restart it the day after surgery. For diabetic patients, long-acting insulin should still be taken but short-acting insulin should be held while you are not eating or drinking as usual.
   
   
4. Drugs/substances: Do not use any cannabis products or other recreational drugs for at least 2-weeks prior to your procedural sedation appointment. Such drugs/substances interact negatively with the sedation medications, and may jeopardize your safety. Failure to abstain from such drugs/substances may result in cancellation of your appointment.
   
   
5. Esthetic/beauty items: Remove all jewelry prior to arriving. This includes earrings, tongue/lip/eyebrow piercings, necklaces, and rings. Also, remove all nail polish or acrylic/gel nails, as these do not allow the oxygen monitor to function properly. Finally, do not wear any makeup.
   
   
6. Government identification: Bring your Health Card to your appointment, as pharmacies require a patient’s Health Card number to be written on prescriptions for narcotics or other controlled substances.
   
   
7. Driver/Companion: A responsible adult must accompany you to our office and must remain on the premises for the duration of your stay. The length of your appointment varies depending on the complexity of your procedure, but it is typically 1.5-hours overall. You will not be able to operate a motor vehicle for 24-hours following your procedural sedation. Also, a responsible adult must stay with you once at home until the effects of the sedation have fully worn off. For children under 12 years-old, there must be TWO companions for the ride home – One driver and one sitting BESIDE the child. Alternatively, a taxi may be taken so that the companion may sit beside the child.
   
   
8. Cellular devices: For patient confidentiality, no cellular devices are to be brought into the surgical area.
    
9. Pregnancy: If you are, or could possibly be pregnant, you must not have any form of sedation. Please notify office staff immediately, so that your procedure can be rescheduled.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING YOUR SURGICAL PROCEDURE, THE ANESTHETIC, OR ANY OF THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE DISCUSS THEM WITH YOUR SURGEON PRIOR TO TREATMENT.