The Day of General Anesthesia: Preoperative Checks, Recovery, and Discharge Handover

If your surgery or examination is planned under general anesthesia, first obtain the anesthesia team’s instructions on fasting, medicines, and arrival. Tell the team promptly about any changes on the day. For day surgery, also arrange in advance for an adult approved by the hospital to take you home and stay with you.

Key Points

• The anesthesia team will give you instructions about solid food, fluids, and medicines for this procedure. Contact the hospital immediately if you are unsure or have not followed them.
• Tell the team in advance about previous anesthesia or airway problems, allergies, loose teeth, all medicines, and recent changes in your health.
• The anesthesia team will continuously care for and monitor you during general anesthesia. After waking, promptly tell staff about pain, nausea, or breathing discomfort.
• Being awake does not mean your judgment and reactions have recovered. Before leaving, obtain written instructions on restrictions, medicines, and getting help.

Before Arrival: Confirm Preparations and Support

Check the hospital, campus, arrival time, and contact number. Ask for the exact times when you must last eat solid food, drink water, and take each medicine. Do not stop medicines on your own or apply another patient’s fasting instructions to yourself. If you have diabetes or another condition requiring special arrangements, ask the anesthesia team in advance.

Bring a list of your medicines and supplements, allergy information, and any existing anesthesia records. If you have previously had difficult intubation, a severe reaction to anesthesia, or suspected awareness during surgery, provide the original records if possible. Also tell the team about any personal or family history of severe reactions to anesthesia. For day surgery, confirm before setting out who will take you home, how long someone must stay with you, where you will stay, and how to return to the hospital if problems occur. Do not assume that your driver is an escort approved by the hospital.

Before Anesthesia: Tell the Team About Changes

At check-in, follow the process for confirming your identity, procedure, and consent documents. Report any recent fever, cough, or other changes in your health, and give the actual times you last ate, drank, and took medicines. Be truthful even if you did not follow the original instructions; the anesthesia team will decide what happens next.

General anesthesia uses medicines to make you unconscious. The anesthesia team continuously monitors you during the procedure and supports your breathing and circulation as needed. Different airway devices may be used, depending on your circumstances and the surgery. The team may assist or control your breathing; an airway device is not always a breathing tube placed in the windpipe. The team monitors breathing, oxygen levels, blood pressure, heart rate, and other measures, and adjusts the anesthesia as needed. You can ask the anesthesiologist: “What particular risks do I have? How do you plan to manage my airway and pain after surgery?”[1][2][8]

General anesthesia can cause common discomforts and has less common serious risks, including tooth damage, severe allergic reactions, and breathing problems. Your medical conditions, the type of surgery, and how urgently it is needed affect your risks. Ask the anesthesiologist to explain the risks most relevant to you and how they will be managed.[8]

Recovery and Discharge: Confirm Who Will Care for You

Staff will continue to monitor you after you wake. Promptly report pain, nausea, shivering, or throat discomfort. Family members should also tell staff if your awareness or alertness is clearly different from usual. Ask the team when you can start eating and drinking before doing so.

Before leaving, confirm the following with the person accompanying you: where you will go after discharge, who will stay with you and for how long; medicine names, how to take them, and when to restart your usual medicines; instructions for eating and activity, and restrictions on driving, drinking alcohol, operating machinery, and making important decisions; follow-up appointments, collecting reports, and daytime and nighttime contact numbers. Ask for a written list of symptoms that require immediate help. For serious problems such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, or being unable to wake the patient, contact local emergency services immediately. For other unusual symptoms, contact the team according to the hospital’s discharge instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still have the procedure if I accidentally ate or drank water?

Tell the hospital immediately what you ate or drank and when, and wait for the anesthesia team’s decision. Do not hide it or decide on your own to proceed or cancel.[3]

Should I stop all my morning medicines?

Do not stop medicines on your own. Ask the anesthesia team and the team prescribing your medicines about each one in advance. Contact them promptly if instructions are unclear or you have already missed a dose.[4]

Does general anesthesia always require a breathing tube in the windpipe?

No. Airway management depends on the surgery and your circumstances. You can ask the anesthesiologist to explain the plan before surgery.[2]

What if I am worried about waking during surgery?

Accidental awareness during general anesthesia is rare. Remembering events before falling asleep or in the recovery room does not mean you were aware during surgery. Tell the anesthesiologist about your concerns before surgery, especially any similar past experience.[6] If afterward you remember something you think happened during surgery, describe it to the anesthesia team as soon as possible and ask them to document and review it.

Can I go back to my hotel alone once I am awake?

Check the hospital’s requirements first. Day surgery usually requires an adult to take you home and stay with you. You must not drive yourself simply because you feel alert.[5]

Is nausea or a sore throat normal after surgery?

These can occur during recovery. Tell staff so they can assess and treat them. If symptoms persist or worsen after discharge, contact the hospital according to your discharge instructions. Seek emergency help immediately if you have difficulty breathing.[1]

What should family members do if the patient suddenly becomes confused?

Tell staff immediately and explain the patient’s usual level of thinking and awareness. Sudden confusion after returning to your accommodation also needs prompt medical assessment. Do not assume it is simply because the anesthetic has not worn off.

Sources

1. NHS: General anesthesia, checked on 2026-11-06.

2. Moorfields Eye Hospital: Anesthesia explained, checked on 2026-11-06; the treating team determines the specific plan.

3. NHS Kingston and Richmond: Fasting before surgery, checked on 2026-11-06.

4. Cambridge University Hospitals: Anesthetic and preoperative information, checked on 2026-11-06.

5. South Tees Hospitals: Fasting for adults and arrangements after general anesthesia, checked on 2026-11-06; follow the treating hospital’s specific requirements for someone to accompany and stay with you, and for how long restrictions apply.

6. Royal College of Anaesthetists: Accidental awareness during general anesthesia, checked on 2026-11-06.

7. NHS: Sudden confusion, checked on 2026-11-06.

8. Royal College of Anaesthetists: Risks of general anesthesia, checked on 2026-11-06.