Do not take aspirin, aspirin containing products, ibuprofen, ibuprofen containing products, or vitamin E for one week prior to surgery, as these medications increase the risk of bleeding. If your primary care doctor or cardiologist has prescribed any of the above, be sure to check with him/her before stopping. You will also be required to not take these medications for three to seven days following your surgery. If you are not sure about a particular medication, please check the label, refer to the enclosed list, or give us a call.
If your primary care doctor, cardiologist, or neurologist has prescribed medications to thin the blood (coumadin, aspirin, ecotrin, and persantine/dipyridamole are examples), you must check with him/her regarding the possibility of discontinuing these medications prior to surgery. If stopped, coumadin should be stopped 3 days prior to surgery, but this must be cleared with the prescribing physician. We can do most types of surgeries and repairs while you are on these medications, and they do not have to be discontinued. It is very important that you follow your prescribing physician’s instructions exactly.
Avoid alcohol for three days prior to surgery, as it can cause increased bleeding.
Please call our office if you have an artificial heart valve, joint replacement, organ transplant, or heart murmur. You may need to take an antibiotic before your surgery.
If your skin biopsy was not done by Dr. Berkes, please check that your referring physician has sent a copy of your biopsy report to our office. We must receive this information at least one week prior to your appointment
