Surgery
Surgery is a branch of medicine that involves treating diseases or injuries by adjusting or removing organs, tissues or bones. Surgery includes both necessary procedures, like cardiac surgery, or elective procedures, such as joint replacement.
Surgical care in South Denver
When you or a loved one needs surgery, you should have compassionate, high-quality care from check-in through recovery.
At Sky Ridge Medical Center in South Denver, our board-certified surgeons come from multiple specialties for your care. Highly skilled and experienced, we perform procedures to help you heal and get you back to living your life.
Expert advice, available 24/7
Free medical advice is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Free medical advice is just a phone call away. Our nurses help you understand your symptoms, treatment options and procedures. They will also help you find a provider or specialist and schedule an appointment.
Related specialties
Learn more about our related specialties.
Our surgical services
We employ a multidisciplinary team of surgeons who collaborate to accurately diagnose and effectively treat your condition.
Surgical treatments
Our expert surgeons have experience performing surgical procedures encompassing a wide range of specialties, including:
- Bariatric surgery
- Ear nose and throat (ENT) surgery
- Gastrointestinal surgery
- General surgery
- Gynecologic surgery
- Neurological surgery
- Orthopedic surgery
- Pediatric surgery
- Plastic surgery
- Spine surgery
- Urologic surgery
- Vascular surgery
Surgical procedures we offer
Our surgeons are experienced in performing a wide range of procedures, including:
- Adrenalectomy
- Amputation
- Appendix removal
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Cholecystectomy
- Colectomy
- Colon cancer surgery
- Complex pancreatic surgery
- Endovenous ablation
- Esophagus surgery
- Gallbladder removal
- Hysterectomy
- Hysteroscopy
- Inguinal hernia repair
- Kidney surgery
- Low back pain surgery
- Mastectomy
- Mastoidectomy
- Nephrectomy
- Pancreas surgery
- Plastic surgery
- Stomach surgery
- Thyroid surgery
- Tracheostomy
Endovascular thrombectomy
Our hospital was the first hospital in South Metro Denver to offer endovascular thrombectomy for the treatment of stroke. Thrombectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that is used to remove the clot that is preventing blood flow to the brain. Patients who undergo the endovascular thrombectomy early enough often recover with little to no long-term damage. That is why selecting the right hospital for stroke care is so important.
During this procedure, a small incision is made to access the artery so that our doctors can effectively remove the obstruction that is blocking blood flow, dramatically reducing the damage certain types of stroke can cause.
Our average time from diagnostic testing to confirm a stroke to the completion of endovascular thrombectomy is less than one hour. We are able to have a blocked artery open in less than 20 minutes with patients only needing light sedation.
Robot-assisted surgery
At our hospital, our goal is to be on the leading edge of technology so that we can provide you with safe and effective treatment options to help get you back to what you love. That is why our Center for Robotic Surgery offers state-of-the-art, robot-assisted surgery platforms, allowing our specially trained surgeons to operate with extreme precision and accuracy.
Robot-assisted surgery is an innovative type of minimally invasive surgery that combines human intelligence with the precision of a robot. With the aid of robotic arms and image guidance, our surgeons can operate through very small incisions, which leads to less damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Often, robot-assisted surgery means a faster return to daily activities with less pain and scarring.
Types of robotic surgery we offer
Our surgeons offer a variety of robot-assisted surgical procedures, including robotic:
- Cholecystectomy
- Gallbladder surgery
- Hernia surgery
- Hip replacement
- Hysterectomy
- Kidney surgery
- Knee replacement
- Myomectomy
- Partial nephrectomy
- Prostatectomy
- Pyeloplasty
- Thymectomy
- Transoral robotic surgery (TORS)
Minimally invasive brain surgery
We offer laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), which is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine to guide a laser probe to eliminate unwanted tissue in the brain where the lesion, or abnormal tissue, originates.
Unlike traditional brain surgery, a neurosurgeon creates a small hole in the skull, about the diameter of a pencil to target the lesion. The neurosurgeon is able to visualize the lesion and help lessen injury to nearby healthy brain tissue.
Spinal robot-assisted surgery
We offer a robotic platform for spine surgery in our Spine and Total Joint Center. Our specialized technology provides preoperative and intraoperative guidance that allows surgeons to map out and perform simple and complex spine surgeries with exact precision.
Prior to back surgery, patients undergo a computerized tomography (CT) scan to capture images of their spine and their surrounding anatomy. The technology uses these images to generate a surgical plan that defines the exact locations to place surgical instruments, screws and rods and complete surgery for the patient.
Preparing for surgery
The following guidelines and recommendations will help you prepare for your surgery at our hospital. If you have any questions, please contact your physician.
Pre-admission testing
To ensure a seamless process for patients, we conduct pre-admission testing before a procedure. We encourage you to schedule your pre-admission testing within two weeks of your surgery. Tests may include blood work, electrocardiography (EKG), X-ray and an obstructive sleep apnea screening. Our pre-admission testing nurse will also complete a full medical history and request a list of your medications.
Pre-admission testing appointments may be scheduled Monday through Friday between 8:00am and 5:00pm. Appointments typically last one hour.
To schedule your appointment, please call (720) 225-6188.
Register for surgery
Please register for your surgery at least 48 hours in advance of the procedure to give us time to process your information.
Day of surgery and checking in
Please arrive at our hospital two hours before your surgery, and check in with the admissions desk. If you already had your pre-admission testing, you will be able to check in via “fast pass,” which will make the preoperative process faster.
Waiting area amenities for family
While your loved one is in surgery, our comfortable waiting rooms (located on the main floor and in the Spine and Total Joint Center) offer a relaxing area to await updates. We offer televisions, complimentary coffee and internet access.
In addition, our patient tracking system will enable you to follow your loved one through his or her procedure. Our café with freshly brewed coffee, our gift shop and the Healing Garden are just a short walk from our waiting rooms.
We also offer hospitality pagers, similar to what you might find in a restaurant, to let family and friends know that the surgeon has completed their procedure.
Preoperative and postoperative guidelines
Before your procedure, please do not eat solid foods for at least eight hours prior to your scheduled surgery time. Solids include milkshakes, protein drinks and anything that has particulate matter in it. You may have clear liquids (water, clear juices and clear soda) and black coffee or tea without milk or cream up to four hours before surgery.
Food consumed less than eight hours and liquids less than four hours prior to surgery can be dangerous and may result in cancellation of surgery. If your anesthesiologist calls you the night before your surgery and gives you instructions other than these, those instructions should be followed.
Additional instructions include:
- If you develop a cold or other illness prior to surgery, you must notify your surgeon before the day of surgery.
- If your surgery includes an overnight stay in the hospital, please leave your suitcase/bag in your car on the day of surgery.
- No smoking after midnight. No alcoholic beverages prior to surgery.
- Please leave all your valuables at home, including jewelry, electronic devices, expensive clothing, cash, credit cards or checkbooks. Only bring your copay, if required.
- Wear your glasses, and bring a case. If you wear contacts, you will most likely be expected to remove them prior to surgery, so bring a case and solution to store them.
- Wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing.
- You may shower, shampoo your hair and brush your teeth prior to surgery, but do not swallow the water before coming to the hospital. Do not apply lotion, perfume or makeup. Nail polish and artificial nails are acceptable.
Discharge and recovery
Our team wants to provide you with all the information and tools you need to have a safe recovery at home following your procedure.
When you are ready to go home, your discharge and recovery nurse will review important details with you, such as:
- Infection prevention
- Nausea and vomiting management
- Pain management
- Postoperative bleeding
Spine and joint surgery patient education
Recover faster and safer by learning about surgery, recovery and discharge for spine surgery and total joint replacements.
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Our Surgery Locations
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