Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care
Stay at AICD
Your attending physician will inform you in detail how your postoperative period and your stay at AICD is expected to go. The length of stay at the department varies depending on the type and extent of the surgical intervention.
Preliminary preparation
- It is a mandatory condition for all elective anaesthesia that you have not taken any food or fluids for at least the last 6 hours. It is also not advisable to smoke if you are going to have an intervention under anaesthesia. Failure to comply with these requirements may lead to a serious risk of complications that could endanger your life.
- It is also an obligatory requirement that you do not wear lenses or dentures when you are about to undergo surgery under anaesthesia and that you have removed any pieces of piercing jewellery, if any (especially on your lips, tongue and nose).
- Having make-up on is not advisable.
- For all procedures performed under anaesthesia, a certain set of preliminary clinical and/or laboratory tests are required, of which you will be informed in advance by your attending physician.
- If you are to undergo a procedure of one-day surgery type, you must provide an official medical document evidencing your blood group. If you do not have one, your blood group may also be determined in advance in our hospital laboratory.
Stay at the Department
The premises of the Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Department are near the Operating Theatre Unit and the Maternity Unit of Nadezhda and after Caesarean section and other surgical interventions, varying in complexity and scope, some patients spend a certain period of time in them for monitoring of their general condition or for intensive care.
Your attending physician will inform you in detail how your postoperative period and your stay at AICD is expected to go. Depending on the specific surgical intervention and at the discretion of the anaesthesiologist and your attending physician, at the AICD you may be allowed water intake and you will be advised to bring a stack of 500 ml bottles of water with you to the hospital upon admission.
The use of mobile phones is allowed at AICD, in case such use is not disturbing the peace and quiet atmosphere for other patients in the department.
If you are on ongoing medication therapy in relation to any comorbidities, you must bring your prescription book with you on admission to hospital and make this known to the physician, who will visit you for an anaesthetic consultation prior to surgery.
No food or liquids other than water may be brought into AICD. At the discretion of the anaesthesiologist and your attending physician, you may be allowed to take hospital food that is appropriate to your surgical intervention and dietary regimen appropriate to your condition.
The length of stay at the department varies depending on the type and extent of the surgical intervention and is at the discretion of your attending physician, obstetrician or surgeon, and anaesthesiologist.
- For laparoscopic (bloodless) operations, the stay is usually 3 to 6 hours.
- For open abdominal operations and Caesarean sections – a minimum of 24 hours.
- For normal labour and after intravenous anaesthesia, without complications, 2 to 4 hours.
The administration of different types of anaesthesia during surgical interventions may cause some transient side effects, which in the postoperative period resolve by themselves or are managed by intravenous infusions.
After endotracheal (general anaesthesia) and intravenous anaesthesia, it is normal to feel dizzy and lightheaded. The degree of dizziness is determined by the duration of anaesthesia, the severity of the surgical intervention, and the individual characteristics of each patient.
IMPORTANT! If you are going to undergo an intervention of one-day surgery type requiring anaesthesia, please note that it is not advisable to drive or perform any activities involving a high level of concentration and responsibility on the same day
Your relatives may obtain information about you from your attending physician if you expressly request it. Please note that visiting is not allowed at AICD.
Anaesthetic consultation for elective surgeries
If you are due to undergo abdominal surgery, laparoscopy or elective caesarean section, you will undergo a mandatory anaesthetic consultation on the day of admission to hospital. Be sure to inform the anaesthesiologist of any allergies and current medication intake, as well as any existing comorbidities.
Before undergoing any intervention under anaesthesia, you will have the opportunity to obtain informed consent regarding placement under anaesthesia and the possible complications and side effects associated with it.
When is a preliminary consultation with an anaesthesiologist necessary?
- If you have had a case of allergic reaction to anaesthesia in the past. In such cases, the anaesthesiologist may recommend pre-testing for anaesthetics.
- If you have experienced allergic shock. In such cases, the anaesthesiologist may recommend pre-testing for anaesthetics.
- If you suffer from systemic chronic diseases and especially those requiring ongoing supportive therapy.
- If you have suffered any serious complications in previous anaesthetic interventions.