Care Questions Around the Time of Surgery

Question:  Who do I call if I am worried about anything?

Answer:  Call 856-797-0202 and during business hours the office staff will assist you by either having you speak to a surgery center nurse or by connecting you directly to Dr. Sorokin or his personal nursing staff.  After hours, the same phone number 856-797-0202 will reach Dr. Sorokin for emergency care

Question:  My surgery time isn't until Noon.  Can I eat breakfast?  Drink?  

Answer:  The answer is unfortunately no.  You can not consume anything after midnight the morning of your surgery or surgery will be canceled.  No food, drink, gum, candy, mints.  You can brush your teeth with a tiny bit of water but shouldn't swallow.  Please call with any questions.  

Question:  When is my follow up appointment?

Answer:  On your discharge paperwork there is a written time for your followup appointment with Dr. Sorokin or his nurse.  You may be seen in Cherry Hill or in Philadelphia depending on schedules and timing, so discuss with our staff at 856-797-0202.

Question:  I have a fever, what should I do?

Answer:  Any fever, increased pain, or anything that just doesn't seem right to you should be reported immediately to Dr. Sorokin, at 856-797-0202, 24 hours a day so that appropriate analysis of the situation and care instructions can be provided.

Question: What should I do to dispose of my extra pain medicine as surgery really didn't hurt that much and I have leftovers? 

Answer:  Leftover pain medication should be properly discarded.  This can be brought back to the office, taken back to your pharmacy, and in most neighborhoods taken to your police department where they often have drop boxes.  Given the addictive potential of these medications and danger to other people (especially children and elderly) they should be disposed of properly.

Question:  Is it safe to have surgery at an outpatient center?  

Answer:  There are many issues at question here.  First of all is health of the patient and appropriateness of the procedure for the specific patient.  You will meet with Dr. Sorokin in order to be medically evaluated.  In some cases he may feel the surgery should be performed at a hospital depending on your medical history.  That being said, most procedures are performed in his licensed ambulatory surgical center which has been accredited by the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities AAAASF and is inspected by the State of New Jersey and required to follow all rules and regulations of any outpatient ambulatory surgical center.   We take safety very seriously and while all surgery contains some level of risk we do everything we can to minimize this.