When you or a loved one is facing surgery, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is where you will have your surgery. At Cullman Regional, our team of experts has decades of experience and works together to keep patients and families informed and comfortable. From outpatient elective procedures to inpatient and trauma surgery, the professional staff at the Cullman Regional Surgical Services Center is here to help you through your surgical process.
Surgical Procedures
Many procedures that once required an overnight hospital stay can now be performed safely and quickly in one day with or without an overnight stay, depending on your specific situation. About 85 percent of all surgeries can be performed on an outpatient basis. Your surgeon will advise you if an outpatient procedure is an option for you. We aim to provide a positive surgical experience for all patients and their families, with care provided by an experienced staff. The state-of-the-art tracking system in the Surgery Waiting Room allows your family to follow the progression of your procedure. Your information is provided with your assigned Family Code.
Our Services
The following surgical procedures are available at Cullman Regional:
- General, thoracic and vascular surgery
- Orthopedic procedures
- Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted surgery
- Joint replacement
- Plastic and reconstructive surgery
- Gynecological surgery
- Minimally invasive spine surgery
- Robotic surgery
- Urological surgery
- Bariatric surgery
- Laparoscopic surgery
- Arthroscopic surgery
Patient Tracking System
With your unique Family Code, family members and friends will be able to follow your progress in the operating room – from pre-op through recovery – on a large television screen in the Surgery Waiting Room. Your information is identified by the Family Code.
Bariatric Procedures
Bariatric surgery is performed on the stomach or intestines to induce weight loss. Most weight loss surgeries today are performed using minimally invasive techniques. Cullman Regional offers the LAP-BAND® procedure as well as the gastric sleeve weight loss procedure.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Thanks to advances in medicine and technology, minimally invasive procedures allow physicians to work with precise tools through smaller incisions, allowing for a faster and safer recovery.
A high percentage of surgical cases performed at Cullman Regional are on a one-day or same-day basis. Using sophisticated techniques, physicians perform these procedures through just one or a series of small, half-inch incisions. Since smaller incisions heal faster, minimally invasive procedures help to accelerate recovery, and there are fewer risks of complications, such as infection.
Minimally invasive procedures available at Cullman Regional include:
- Gynecological procedures, including hysterectomy
- Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy)
- Orthopedic and spine procedures
- Ear, nose and throat (ENT) procedures
- And more
Following your surgery, you will recover in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Here, we provide care for inpatients or outpatients ranging from pediatric to geriatric. Our nurses monitor you immediately following a surgical procedure to ensure adequate breathing, vital sign stability, and pain management, and to watch for cardiovascular or other issues that may arise.
PACU nurses also assist with some of the pre-operative procedures you may require, including spinals, epidurals, arterial line placement, Swann-Ganz line placement or central venous line placement.
Surgery Preparation
Pre-Admission Testing
Pre-admission testing includes surgical screening assessments for patients of all ages. We will provide information about your scheduled procedure, discuss pre-procedure instructions, and complete lab work or X-rays ordered by your physician and required prior to surgery. Your visit should last approximately 30 to 45 minutes, although some specialty procedures require a longer pre-admission visit.
You should dress comfortably for your pre-admission visit. You will meet with a registered nurse who will obtain your medical history and current medications list. He or she will listen to your heart and lungs and measure your height and weight.
During this visit, you will also receive your Family Code that will be used for all inquiries regarding your status while in the hospital. This six-digit number is permanently assigned to you for future hospital visits as well.
Provide your Family Code to one family member who will serve as the contact person for other family and friends wishing to know your status. Only minimal information will be shared.
If you have additional questions after your pre-admission appointment, call us at (256) 737-2280.
One-Day Surgery
Be sure to arrange, in advance, for your transportation home, as you will be unable to drive for 24 hours after surgery.
When you arrive to the Surgery Waiting Room, you will receive a paging device that will be used to update a friend or family member who accompanied you. The state-of-the art surgical patient tracking system located in the Surgery Waiting Room will provide additional information.
You will be escorted to a room in One-Day Surgery and will be asked a series of questions for your safety. You will change into a surgical gown, and an IV may be started. An anesthesiologist or representative will visit to discuss your anesthesia. You may have visitors in your pre-op room; however, during surgery, visitors should wait in the Surgery Waiting Room. After your procedure, you will be assigned to a post-operative room and your visitors will be notified of your room assignment.
Once recovered, you will receive home-care instructions, including what issues or symptoms to report to your doctor. You will know when to follow-up with your physician, and you will be discharged home. We will escort you out to your car in a wheelchair. You will be unable to drive for 24 hours after surgery due to your anesthesia. You must have someone to drive you home.
Hours
Pre-Admission Testing:
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Outpatient Procedures:
Monday – Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Inpatient and Trauma Procedures:
24 hours a day, seven days a week
Location
Pre-Admission Testing:
First floor, Professional Office Building 1
Surgery Waiting Room:
Second floor, main hospital
Take the Surgery elevator, next to Central Registration, to the second floor.
Contact
Pre-Admission Testing:
(256) 737-2280
Surgical Services Scheduling:
(256) 737-2240
Surgery Waiting Room:
(256) 737-2660