As Dr. Lewis prepares for your procedure, here is information that may help you prepare for your procedure. Please remember, each patient is an individual and pre-procedure preparation can be as unique as the individual. This is general information on what to do and what not to do before your procedure. The information is separated between diagnostic interventions and treatment interventions. A few examples of each are provided below to help direct you to which you will have.
Diagnostic Procedures
These interventions are almost exclusively biopsies (e.g., lung biopsy, kidney biopsy, liver biopsy, and bone marrow biopsy).
Diet: For the 4-6 hours before your procedure, have nothing to eat or drink. Do however use sips of water to take your regular medications.
Blood thinners: If you take a blood thinner, confirm with the prescribing doctor and the pre-procedure team on how long to not take your blood thinner for prior to the procedure. While the risk is low, there is always a risk of bleeding with any intervention. In terms of safety, we balance minimizing that risk with the risks of stopping the medication (i.e., individual considerations on why you are taking the blood thinner).
Other medications: With the exception of blood thinners, please take all of your other medications as originally prescribed. You may take these medications with sips of water prior to your procedure.
When to arrive: There are two important times you may be told: the time to arrive and the procedure time. “Time to arrive” is your responsibility. “Procedure time” is our responsibility. In general, patients are instructed to arrive 1.5 hours prior to your procedure time. In that 1.5 hours you get checked in, medications reviewed, labs drawn, IV started and in most cases, consented for the procedure. The “Procedure time” is when you will be taken from pre-procedure holding and brought to the procedure room (e.g., CT, U/S or IR suite).
How to arrive (and leave): In cases you have sedation (e.g, bone marrow biopsy) you must have someone else drive you to and from the procedure – no exceptions. When no sedation is administered, you are still strongly encouraged to have a driver to and from the procedure as well.
Treatment procedures
These interventions are primarily performed in the IR suite (e.g., chest port placement, IVC filter removal, AV fistulas, embolizations).
Diet: For the 4-6 hours before your procedure, have nothing to eat or drink. Do however use sips of water to take your regular medications.
Blood thinners: If you take a blood thinner, confirm with the prescribing doctor and the pre-procedure team on how long to not take your blood thinner for prior to the procedure. While the risk is generally low, there is always a risk of bleeding with any intervention. In terms of safety, we balance minimizing that risk with the risks of stopping the medication (i.e., individual considerations on why you are taking the blood thinner).
Other medications: With the exception of blood thinners, please take all of your other medications as originally prescribed. You may take these medications with sips of water prior to your procedure.
When to arrive: There are two important times you may be told: the time to arrive and the procedure time. “Time to arrive” is your responsibility. “Procedure time” is our responsibility. In general, patients are instructed to arrive 1.5 hours prior to your procedure time. In that 1.5 hours you get checked in, medications reviewed, labs drawn, IV started and in most cases, consented for the procedure. The “Procedure time” is when you will be taken from pre-procedure holding and brought to the procedure room (e.g., CT, U/S or IR suite).
How to arrive (and leave): Sedation is almost always administered for treatment interventions. So, you will need someone else drive you to and from the procedure – no exceptions. In the rare cases, no sedation is administered, you are still strongly encouraged to have a driver to and from the procedure as well.