Your surgeon and anaesthetist will tell you if you are able to go home on the day of surgery.
You must not drive within 24 hours of having an anaesthetic. Please arrange for someone to pick you up from the hospital. If you cannot arrange this, you may need to stay overnight in hospital or your surgery may be cancelled.
For the first 24 hours after an anaesthetic please:
• Have someone stay with you, in case you need urgent help
• If you look after anyone (including children), do not do so alone
• Do not drink alcohol
• Do not drive or ride a bike
• Do not cook or operate any heavy equipment
Advice on looking after someone who has had a general anaesthetic or sedation can be found by clicking the link below.
Caring for Someone Recovering from a General Anaesthetic or Sedation
You will be discharged with a patient information leaflet relevant to your surgery which has specific advice for management following your procedure. If you did not get this, or have lost it, these can be found on our website by clicking the link below. You will need to search for your leaflets with the name of your procedure.
NHS Tayside: Patient Information Leaflets webpage