Preparing for a Procedure
Instructions
In preparing for your procedure we ask that you follow a few simple rules:
- Please do not eat any solid food or drink any liquids within 8 hours of your procedure time, except for a sip of water to take usual medications.
- Please take your regular medicines on the day of the procedure with the exception of insulin. We have specific instructions for diabetics on insulin. See below.
- Potent platelet inhibiting drugs (e.g. Plavix; Ticlid) and/or Coumadin (Warfarin) and other "blood thinners" must be stopped prior to certain injections. See below.
Our “official procedure” instruction sheet is below.
**All patients are required to have a driver to take them home.**
- Any solid or liquid ok until 8 hours prior to procedure
- NO solids or liquids within 8 hours of procedure
Diabetics on Insulin
- A.M. appointments: Take 1/2 your dosage of insulin and drink clear liquid.
- P.M. appointments: Take a full dosage of insulin, drink clear liquid; may eat Breakfast before 8A.M.
- Take all your regular oral (by mouth) medications, especially your blood pressure medicines on the day of the injection.
Anticoagulant (“blood thinner”) policy
- You MUST check with your primary care physician and/or cardiologist to confirm that you can temporarily discontinue your blood thinning medicine around the time of certain injection(s).
- NSAIDs/ASA/"Arthritis Medicines" - e.g. aspirin; Celebrex (celecoxib); Motrin (ibuprofen); Aleve (naproxen); Mobic (meloxicam), etc. - NO restrictions.
- NOTE: If patient is also taking one of the drugs listed below - stop NSAIDs 7 days prior to procedure
- Coumadin - stop 7 days prior to procedure
- Plavix (clopidogrel) - 7 days prior to procedure
- Ticlid (Ticlopidine) - 14 days prior to procedure
- Enoxaparin sodium (Lovenox) –
- dosage regimen 30mg SC q 12h or up to 40 mg SC once daily: last dose 12 hours prior to injection; first post-injection dose 12 hours after injection
- higher dosage regimens (i.e. 1.5 mg/kg SC once daily or 1 mg/kg SC twice daily): last dose 24 hours prior to injection; first post-injection dose 24 hours after injection
- Platelet GP IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists, including abciximab (Reopro), eptifibatide (Integrilin), and tirofiban (Aggrastat) - 48 hours prior to procedure
Printable Instructions