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Not medical advice. Possible anaphylaxis: use epinephrine and call 911.Read the full note

Epitope Health teaches what published research and FDA labels say, and how strong that evidence is. It cannot know your situation, and nothing here is a diagnosis, a dose for one person, or a decision about whether a food, medicine or procedure suits one person. Those decisions belong with a licensed clinician who can examine you.

If a reaction is happening now, use epinephrine if it has been prescribed and call 911. After surgery, trouble breathing or chest pain needs 911. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, any time.

An empty operating room with its table, overhead lights and equipment
Home / Surgery Ready / Start here

Surgery coming up?

Getting ready, fasting, the medicines to mention, and the kinds of anesthesia.

6 guides, about 17 minutes in all

Read this first

Getting the body ready

What research shows about the things that can be improved before a planned operation, and where trials found less benefit than hoped.

Read the guideFor clinicians

Then, in this order

  1. Types of anesthesia and sedation

    How the American Society of Anesthesiologists defines the levels of sedation, what monitored anesthesia care is, and what the research shows about spinal, epidural and nerve block anesthesia.

    4 min read10 sourcesFor clinicians

  2. Fasting before surgery

    Why the team asks for an empty stomach, what the guidelines say about clear fluids and solid food, and what trials found about shorter fasts and carbohydrate drinks.

    3 min read6 sourcesFor clinicians

  3. Medicines to discuss before surgery

    What labels and guidelines say about the medicines anesthesia and surgical teams most need to know about. The plan for each one is set by your team.

    4 min read12 sourcesFor clinicians

  4. Sleep apnea and anesthesia

    Why obstructive sleep apnea matters around surgery, and how the STOP-Bang questionnaire helps the team screen for it.

    2 min read6 sourcesFor clinicians

  5. Recovery and pain plans

    What enhanced recovery programs change, why pain plans use more than one approach, and what research shows about opioids after surgery.

    2 min read5 sourcesFor clinicians

Questions for your anesthesia team

A printable list, with space to write the answers.

Open it

Other places to start