What Happens Before, During, and After Surgery?

It is extremely normal to feel nervous before and after surgery. Even if you feel nervous, you are in great hands. To know what happens before, during, and after surgery makes you feel more reassured if you are nervous. Before surgery, your surgeon may order some pre-surgical tests to ensure your safety during surgery. Common pre surgical procedures are blood tests, x-rays, and an electrocardiogram that checks the health of your heart. If you're receiving anesthesia during your surgery, “your care team will discuss it with you during pre-surgery testing or at a pre-surgery appointment with your anesthesiologist or surgeon” (Whitlock). There are different types of anesthesia such as general anesthesia, local anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and sedation. 

During surgery, the check-in staff will give you clothing to wear and place an ID bracelet on your wrists. The surgical area room has a preoperative room outside. There, you will be asked to confirm your name and the type of surgery you will be having. Your team of physicians, nurses, and other clinicals will perform numerous safety checks in the entire room and will take your vitals and monitor them during surgery. When everything is ready, your anesthesiologist will give you the anesthesia and surgeons will perform on you with the rest of the surgical team. “The time it takes to complete the procedure depends on the type and complexity of surgery. After the procedure is complete, your anesthesiologist will give you medication to reverse the anesthesia” (Whitlock). 

After surgery, you will be taken to your recovery room. As you wake up from the anesthesia, you may feel a little tired, but that's normal. “Nurses will carefully monitor your vital signs, including blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. How long you stay in recovery depends on what surgery was performed, how quickly you wake up from anesthesia, and the stability of your vital signs” (“A guide to what happens before, during, and after surgery” ). You may stay longer in the hospital depending on what surgery you had. After you are discharged from the hospital, your care team will follow up and schedule appointments with your doctor or surgeon. You will also receive instructions on how to take care of yourself at home.

Written by Malak Ibrahim at Incisionary

Whitlock, J. (2022, September 19). Why you can’t eat or drink before surgery. Verywell Health. Retrieved July 6, 2025, from https://www.verywellhealth.com/why-cant-i-eat-or-drink-before-surgery-3157000

Reid Health. (n.d.). A guide to what happens before, during, and after surgery. Reid Health. Retrieved July 6, 2025, from https://www.reidhealth.org/blog/a-guide-to-what-happens-before-during-and-after-surgery