Regardless of whether you will have a general or spinal anaesthetic, your lungs are much more vulnerable after an operation. Not only are you at a higher risk from anaesthesia, smokers also have poorer wound, tendon and bone healing following surgery. If you have considered stopping smoking, perhaps this is a better excuse to quit than many or if you could at least cut down on the amount you smoke it will also help. Quitting smoking as little as 4 weeks prior to surgery can be beneficial. Nicotine replacement therapy may help and if you are interested please contact either your General Practitioner or the Smoking Helpline directly on 1800 201 203 or visit https://www.quit.ie/. For further information on the benefits of stopping smoking prior to surgery, the link to a recent Cochrane review is provided.
http://www.cochrane.org/CD002294/TOBACCO_can-people-be-helped-to-stop-smoking-before-they-have-surgery
Unless indicated otherwise, in general it is better to be as active as possible prior to your surgery. A focussed strengthening programme beforehand will often make the recovery process easier and faster and this is known as "prehabilitation". Weekly prehabilitation classes take place in the physiotherapy department gym and these can be arranged by calling the physiotherapy department on 01 - 5262040.
All hip and knee replacement patients are routinely seen in a pre-operative clinic prior to surgery. This is usually scheduled 3 - 4 weeks prior to your surgery. In addition, patients who are scheduled for other surgery but who have a significant medical history may be asked to attend. At this visit, we will ensure that you are fit to undergo the procedure and if anything needs optimised such as your blood pressure control or if you require any further investigations beforehand, they can be arranged. All patients are seen by both the nurse and a Physician. The following tests are carried out:
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG) - a non-invasive, painless tracing of your heart's electrical activity
  • Blood pressure and heart rate
  • Urine samples to out-rule a urinary tract infection or Diabetes
  • Methicillin Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus (MRSA) screening of both the nose and groin. This is a bacteria that is resistant to some antibiotics and if present will need to be treated prior to surgery to help reduce your risk of infection afterwards
  • Blood tests
  • Body mass index
  • Detailed patient history
  • Physical examination by the doctor

The whole PAC visit will take approximately 1 hour. Please bring along any medication that you are taking in the original labelled containers. It is important that the medication is not repackaged into a weekly pill dispenser / pill box. You will also have received a pre-operative questionnaire and please bring along this completed form along with the results / copies of any x-rays, MRIs, or other tests that you have had performed in the last few months.