Orthopedics & Orthopedic Surgery
Before Your Surgery
As with all hip and knee replacement surgeries at Mayo Clinic Health System, to be a same-day joint replacement candidate, you must first:
- Learn to access to your medical record through Patient Online Services
This allows 24/7 access to lab results, clinical notes, and medication lists. It also is a way to send a secure message to your health care team, view and schedule upcoming appointments, and pay bills. - Receive preoperative education
A new and improved video format allows you to receive preoperative education from the comfort of your home with your loved ones, (coaches as we call them). - Receive printed materials
Directly following your surgical consult in the clinic, you will receive brief education from a registered nurse and a packet of materials that includes: - Complete standardized prehabilitation protocols before surgery
Nondiabetic patients are instructed to do carb-loading before surgery
Adding carbohydrates to your body before surgery may improve your overall well-being and metabolism, and may decrease nausea and vomiting after surgery. We instruct our patients to eat a well-balanced meal the night before surgery. We also provide three bottles of a clear carbohydrate drink to consume the night before surgery as well as the morning of surgery.
The Orthopedics Department will work to optimize your health prior to surgery by asking you to complete a history and physical evaluation. If you have any underlying chronic conditions, like diabetes, your disease state should be stable and well-managed before surgery. You may be counseled on nutrition and weight loss, and you may have specific exercises prescribed to increase your physical strength and endurance prior to surgery.
Select a coach to help you
One of the biggest barriers to going home the same day of your surgery is simply a matter of confidence, rather than being unable to meet the requirements for discharge. Coaching patients through the process of joint replacement and instilling in them the confidence that they can do it is critical both before surgery and during recovery.
We encourage you to have a coach who will help you through this process and be available to support you at home. A coach could be a spouse, other adult family member, or a close friend who can be with you throughout the first one to two weeks after surgery.
Surgery day details
Same-day joint replacement surgeries are scheduled earlier in the day to give you as much time as possible to recover from the anesthesia and to navigate all of the postoperative tasks and milestones you will need to complete in order to go home the same day.
The most current and up-to-date anesthesia and surgical techniques are used to promote a comfortable surgery with rapid recovery. These techniques allow you to be alert and engaged immediately after your surgery and be able to drink, have a light snack, and take medications in the very early stages of recovery. The quicker you can regain your strength, the earlier you can achieve mobility and begin your physical therapy process earlier in the day. Early mobility and pain management remain a continued focus of your entire recovery period.
We will continue to care for you well after discharge. Some of our patients need Physical Therapy sessions after being discharged home to help improve mobility.