Surgical patients who choose Lakewood Health System experience exceptional, compassionate care. When in need of surgery, there’s no doubt you want quality care and a convenient location. That’s why Lakewood Health System Hospital is the choice for you. Here at Lakewood, we assure you five-star quality, attentive service to see you through every step of the surgical process.

Lakewood Health System’s surgical staff operates three operating rooms Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. An on-call staff is available for emergency procedures on weekdays after 3:00 p.m., and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays.

Lakewood performs a wide variety of surgical procedures. We use minimally invasive techniques to reduce discomfort and recovery time. Many procedures may now be done on an outpatient basis, allowing the patient to do most of the recovery at home.
 

The surgery team at Lakewood Health System

Lakewood Health System is proud to use a fully digital, high definition video transmitting system for laparoscopic procedures. This system transmits video from a laparoscope that is inserted into the body during surgery onto a 26” HD monitor.
 

At Lakewood, we have great passion about your safety during surgery. We have been granted several awards for patient safety during surgery including the Safe Site and Safe Account awards which are awarded by the Minnesota Hospital Association.

The Safe Site award is directed at preventing wrong-site surgeries. As a patient at Lakewood, you will be asked at multiple checkpoints during your stay for your name and birthday. This assures that we are providing care to the correct patient. We will also ask you to tell us what procedure we are providing, and the correct side, if applicable. This assures that everyone involved is in agreement about your care.

The Safe Account award is directed toward accounting for all surgical items used during your procedure. The counting process is a very serious event and is done in an undisturbed manner, putting your safety first.

In addition to the above items, we also utilize a checklist to ensure that each patient is ready for surgery. Much like a pilot uses a checklist to ensure he is safe to fly. You can see the checklist we use by clicking "documents" on the right. The checklist assists us at each step of the process to make sure that your safety is always safeguarded. We are first and foremost advocates for patient safety at Lakewood.

Click on "links" to the right to see television coverage of what Lakewood's surgical team is doing to ensure patient safety. 
 

One of the best ways to have a good surgical outcome is to be well-prepared. At Lakewood Health system our goal is to support you in the entire process for your surgical care.

We have staff members who are dedicated to preparing you for your surgical experience. Each staff person will guide you in the preparation process for surgery. Our focus is education, building our relationship with you, preparing you for the day of admission for surgery and ensuring your safety throughout the entire surgical experience.

Preparing mentally and physically for surgery is an important step toward a successful result. Understanding the process and your role in it will help you recover more quickly and have fewer problems. Before surgery, your doctor will give you a complete physical examination (often called a History and Physical) to make sure you don't have any conditions that could interfere with the surgery or its outcome. Routine tests, such as blood tests and X-rays, are usually performed when you come in for your history and physical. At your pre-surgical visit with the doctor or physician's assistant/nurse practitioner:

• Discuss any medications you are taking with to see which ones you should stop taking before surgery.
• Discuss with your doctor options for preparing for potential blood replacement, including donating your own blood, medical interventions and other treatments, prior to surgery.
• If you are taking aspirin or anti-inflammatory medications, you will need to stop taking them one week before surgery to minimize bleeding.
• If you smoke, you should stop or cut down to reduce your surgery risks and improve your recovery.
• Have any tooth or gum problems treated before surgery to reduce the risk of infection later.
• Eat a well-balanced diet, supplemented by a daily multivitamin with iron.
• Report any infections to your surgeon. Surgery cannot be performed until all infections have cleared up.

Questions To Ask Your Surgeon About The Surgical Procedure:

• What are the alternatives to this procedure?
• In what ways will my life be different after this surgical procedure?
• What is the proper name of the procedure?
• What are the risks of the surgery?
• What are the risks of anesthesia?
• Are the risks for me greater than other patients for any reason?
• Is this procedure necessary? What will happen if I say no to having surgery?
• What type of anesthesia will I be given?
• Is this procedure a cure?
• How long will the benefits of the procedure last?
• Will this be an inpatient or outpatient procedure?
• What type of incision will be used? Will it be an open procedure or a minimally invasive, or laparoscopic, procedure?
• What medications should I take the morning of my surgery?
• When should I stop eating prior to my procedure?

Questions About the Surgeon's Credentials:

• Are you board certified in a surgical specialty?
• How often do you perform this procedure?
• If you needed this surgery, who would be your surgeon?

Preparing for Discharge to Home:

• Arrange for someone to help out with everyday tasks like cooking, shopping and laundry if you will be unable to do these daily activities after your surgery
• Make sure to understand your discharge instructions specifically about pain control, when to call the surgeon with concerns, signs and symptoms of infection, return visits, care of the incision, activities of daily living, return to work.