The Tri-State Hospital Surgery Department provides 24-hour service with a staff of highly skilled nurses, technicians and anesthesia personnel. With approximately 26 surgeons on staff as well as a podiatrist and four fully-equipped surgery suites, Tri-State’s Surgery Department provides surgical services for a broad range of patients, including infants, children, adolescents, and adults.
Tri-State offers a full range of surgical services, including general, urological, orthopedic (including removing herniated discs from the spine, which is called endoscopic micro discectomy, and anterior approach hip replacement, which is less invasive and minimizes pain), gynecological, ear, nose and throat, and peripheral vascular surgery.
Our state-of-the-art equipment allows Tri-State surgeons to perform both invasive and laparoscopic surgeries.
Perioperative Services
Perioperative Services, offers a wide range of outpatient care, including minor surgery, treatments, and medication administration. These services provide less intensive levels of care in the least amount of time, without sacrificing quality of care or outcome.
An outpatient surgery is a planned procedure, not an emergency situation. It does not normally require an overnight stay in the hospital, barring complications or continued health needs. The Pre-Operative Clinic schedules appointments to individualize each patient’s surgery preparation.
Pre-Operative Visit
During the Pre-Operative visit, the surgical patient will speak with a nurse regarding health status, previous procedures, medications and herbal supplements you take, and any special instructions for the day of the surgery. You may also be seen by a pharmacist to review your medication regime. The patient’s health information will be reviewed with anesthesia, but in most cases the patient will not see the anesthesia provider until the day of surgery.
After the nurse interview, any tests and patient consultations ordered by your surgeon will be completed. These tests might include blood tests with the laboratory, chest x-rays and electrocardiogram. These tests are instrumental in making sure you receive individualized, quality care.
The Pre-Operative Clinic nurse will also let you know when you need to be at the hospital on the day of the surgery. Normally, this will be one to two hours prior to the scheduled surgery time.
The Pre-Operative Clinic is located on the southeast side of the hospital within Perioperative Services, at entrance door #17.
If you have any questions regarding your visit or planned surgery, please call the Tri-State Pre-Operative Clinic at 509.758.4670.
Endoscopy Lab
Endoscopy is the visual examination of the upper intestinal tract (the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, and biliary tract), the lower intestinal tract (colon, sigmoid, and rectum), and the lungs. Specially trained nurses and physicians staff the Endoscopy Lab, located within Perioperative Services. They are prepared to respond to circumstances from diagnostics to life-threatening conditions day and night.
Manoscan Esophageal Motility
The state-of-the-art Sierra Manoscan 360 High Resolution Manometry System, uses continuous circumferential catheters for Esophageal Motility Testing. A trained Registered Nurse will perform this 10- to 15-minute procedure, which is minimal in discomfort and yields rapid, accurate reports. Esophageal problems may include difficulty swallowing, heartburn or reflux, or chest pain. If you are having any of these problems, please consult your Primary Care Physician, who will refer you to a Gastroenterologist to determine whether or not this test is right for you.
Scheduling Your Procedure
Patients are scheduled for the procedure by their Physician’s office, which contacts the hospital directly. The hospital scheduler will then call you to obtain relevant information and discuss your visit, and any special instructions for the day of the procedure.
Because you will be given medications that will make you drowsy, you are required to bring someone with you who can drive you home the day of the procedure.
How the Procedure Works
A Gastroenterologist or a General Surgeon performs the endoscopy procedure.
You will be given a sedative intravenously (through the vein) before the procedure that will make you feel drowsy and relaxed. During the procedure, the physician will use an endoscope – a thin and flexible tube – to pass into the digestive tract. The endoscope has a light and a camera, which produces a color image of the inside of the digestive tract.
Surgery Waiting Room
Visitors are invited to wait in our recently updated waiting room which includes a 42-inch flat screen TV and a variety of current magazines to make the wait comfortable.
Perioperative staff are available to update family/visitors regarding your progress. If a family member or friend has accompanied you, they may receive a visit from the surgeon and/or the anesthesia provider once your surgery has been completed.
After returning to your room, your visitors will be allowed to see you. This may be one to two hours after you are transferred to the Recovery Area.
What to Expect After Surgery
When you leave the hospital, you should expect to be awake enough to go home, but plan to continue resting. When you have outpatient surgery, you go home to recover and will probably not feel up to doing much for the rest of the day or longer, depending on the type of procedure.
Please contact a nurse after your discharge to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. Perioperative nurses are available for questions Monday through Friday starting at 6 a.m. Telephone numbers will be included in your discharge instruction sheets.
Post-Operative and home instructions are provided with each patient’s needs in mind. Your doctor will specify any follow-up care you may need.