On the Day of Surgery

This page describes what to expect on the day of your surgery with Dr Roth. The hospital will contact you the day before surgery to confirm your arrival time. Please read this alongside the specific pre-operative information sheet for your procedure.

Pre-operative information for all procedures →

Arriving at Hospital

You will arrive at the hospital having fasted for at least six hours from solid food and milk. Clear fluids are permitted up to two hours before your scheduled surgery time — the hospital will confirm the exact instructions when they call the day before.

On arrival, reception staff will check you in and may ask you to settle any outstanding hospital fees before surgery proceeds. A nursing staff member will then complete your admission — checking your paperwork, confirming your procedure, reviewing your medications, and ensuring your consent documents are in order. You will then wait in the admission area until the surgical team is ready for you.

Before the Anaesthetic

As your surgery time approaches you will be taken to the anaesthetic bay adjacent to the operating theatre. Your anaesthetic nurse will complete a final check of your paperwork and procedure. Dr Roth will also come to see you here to answer any final questions before you proceed.

Your anaesthetist may meet you in the admission area or in the anaesthetic bay. This is the time to raise any remaining concerns about the anaesthetic — do not hesitate to ask questions at this point.

In the Operating Theatre

Once you are ready to proceed you will be taken into the operating theatre. You will meet the rest of the surgical team — a scrub nurse (who works directly with Dr Roth in the sterile field) and a scout nurse (who assists from outside the sterile field). Your anaesthetic nurse will ensure you are comfortable on the operating table and will apply compression devices to your legs to prevent blood clotting during the procedure.

The anaesthetist will administer your anaesthetic. Dr Roth uses total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) for rhinoplasty procedures — this produces a significantly drier surgical field than inhalational agents and is his standard approach for all nasal surgery.

After Surgery — Recovery

Once surgery is complete and your dressings or wound care are in place, the anaesthetist will wake you and you will be taken to the recovery room. A recovery nurse will monitor you closely during this period. Once you are comfortable, oriented, and your observations are stable you will be transferred to the ward or day surgery area.

Most procedures at Castlecrag Private, North Shore Private, Pittwater Day Surgery, and Wyvern Private are performed as day surgery — you will be discharged the same day once you are comfortable and meet the discharge criteria. Some procedures are booked with an overnight stay as a precaution. Dr Roth will advise you at your pre-operative consultation which applies to your procedure.

You must have a responsible adult to drive you home — you cannot drive yourself or travel alone by public transport after a general anaesthetic. That person should remain with you on the first night.

Rhinoplasty — Specific Information

For rhinoplasty patients, the standard dressing applied at the end of surgery includes a non-stick Telfa dressing over the bridge, Steri-strip tape to limit skin swelling, a mouldable Aquaplast plastic splint over the nose to protect the nasal bones and prevent unwanted movement, and a folded gauze pad under the nose. The splint is removed at your first post-operative appointment, typically five to seven days after surgery.

Rhinoplasty anaesthesia information → | Rhinoplasty post-operative care →

If You Have Questions

If you have questions or concerns at any point on the day of surgery, speak to the nursing staff or ask to speak with Dr Roth directly before proceeding. No question is too small. It is important that you feel informed and comfortable before your anaesthetic begins.

Admissions information → | Anaesthetic FAQs → | Medications to avoid → | Contact us →