Arthroscopy: How To Prepare

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How To Prepare

Arthroscopy is often done on an outpatient basis without requiring an overnight stay in a hospital.

Tell your doctor if you:

• Have allergies to any medications, including anesthetics.
• Are taking any medications, including blood-thinning medications (such as warfarin [Coumadin]) or aspirin.
• Have had any bleeding problems, including blood clots in a vein (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT).
• Are or might be pregnant.
• Have a history of joint stiffness or arthritis. Joint damage caused by arthritis may make it difficult or impossible to do this procedure.
• Have had an X-ray of your joint that used contrast material (arthrogram) within the previous 10 days. The contrast material may cause inflammation within your joint that makes performing arthroscopy difficult. This inflammation also can prevent a clear picture of your joint during arthroscopy.
• Have a history of infection, such as septic arthritis, in the affected joint.
• Have a history of a broken bone (fracture) or injury to the affected joint.

Before the procedure, you will be asked to sign a consent form. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will indicate. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a PDF document?) .

You may have additional tests, such as blood tests or urine tests, before your arthroscopy.

Arrange to have someone drive you home after the procedure.

If you have arthroscopy of your ankle, knee, or hip, your doctor will talk to you about having crutches available after the procedure. If you have arthroscopy of a joint in your arm, you will likely wear a sling or splint after the procedure.

Last updated:	January 29, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine, David Pichora, MD, FRCSC - Orthopedic Surgery
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer