Ambulatory Surgery – surgery that requires less than 24 hours in the hospital or surgery center. Also called “outpatient surgery” or “same-day surgery”.
Anesthesia – medication that prevents pain during surgery.
Anesthesiologist - a doctor who specializes in anesthesia.
Drainage tube – a tube inserted at the incision site to drain excess fluid.
General anesthesia – medication that puts you completely to sleep.
Intravenous or IV Line – a thin tube that delivers medications, fluids, or blood directly into a vein.
Local anesthesia – medication that numbs only the surgery site.
MAC – monitored anesthesia care. This medication makes you drowsy or lightly asleep.
OR - operating room. The room where surgery is performed.
PACU – post anesthesia care unit. The recovery room where a patient may stay until anesthesia wears off.
Regional anesthesia – medication that numbs one region of your body.
Surgery consent – a legal form the patient signs before surgery. It states that the patient understands the risks and benefits of surgery.
Vital signs - your temperature, heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure. | 
