Pre-anesthesia clinic

If you are having surgery at Sunnybrook, you will usually have a pre-anesthesia assessment about two weeks before surgery.

During the assessment you will be asked about your medical history, the medications you take, and any special needs you might have after your operation.

A staff member will tell you whether you will need to come to the hospital for the assessment, or if it can be done over the phone.

An administrator will contact you to book your appointment, or you can choose to book using Sunnybrook's digital assistant.

In-person assessments

If your surgeon has ordered medical tests or consultations, you will need to come to the hospital for your assessment.

• The full assessment is usually three hours.
• Please arrive 20 minutes early to register.
• Be prepared for delays caused by traffic or additional tests.
• Make sure that you do not have any conflicting appointments on the day of your assessment.

Telephone assessments

If you do not need any medical testing and do not have a problematic medical history, you will usually be booked for a telephone assessment.

If you are booked for a phone assessment:

• You do not need to come to the hospital.
• A registered nurse from the pre-anesthesia clinic will call you to conduct the assessment over the phone.
• The nurse will call within one hour of your selected time.

The call will be 30-60 minutes in length.

Medications

Clinic staff will need to review any and all medications you are taking. You must have all your medications and supplements in the original containers or blister packs with you for your assessment.

Some medications can cause dangerous side effects when combined with drugs used in surgery.

Please bring all:

• pills and capsules
• injectable medications
• inhalers/puffers
• cough syrups
• medicated patches
• eye drops
• ear drops
• medicated creams/ointments
• laxatives/diuretics
• over-the-counter medications
• vitamins
• dietary supplements
• naturopathic medications
• herbal remedies

If you do not have original containers, please retain any packaging you have.

Tell clinic staff if you are taking something in addition to what is listed above. Tell your healthcare team about any allergies and reactions you have had to medications in the past.

Important information

We do our best to keep you informed throughout the surgery process. Please read through the information below.

Scheduling

Assessments can take several hours, and are sometimes delayed due to emergencies.

• Please do not book other appointments that may overlap with your assessment. We do our best to stay on schedule, but be prepared for delays.
• If you have a phone assessment, do not come to the hospital. Make sure you will be able to answer the phone for the full hour after your appointment time, and that you are prepared.
• If you are coming to the hospital, please arrive 20 minutes early. Make sure you have no appointments just before or just after your assessment, and please come prepared.

Payment

If you are not a Canadian resident, or if you do not have OHIP, you must make payment arrangements with the Patient Accounts office before your surgery date.

If you are using private insurance, please have your insurance information with you for your assessment appointment.