This department comprises  :

42 hospital beds in 3 divisions with complete hospitalisation, weekly hospitalisation and 11 places for ambulatory patients. Complete coverage for specialised physiotherapy is available in the Orthopaedic Surgery Department

Hospital environment

Lapeyronie hospital has the only officially recognised heliport in the Languedoc Roussillon where 3 helicopters can land at the same time.
The air traffic for this heliport and its equipment are the responsibility of the SAMU's chief doctor whose job is to decide on the priorities.

(This is in keeping with the centre's  regional vocation).
Per and post-operative handling of serious emergencies for the hand is also facilitated by  continuous block painkilling techniques which are routinely used for the brachial plexus by the anaesthetists  at the D.A.R. A (Department of Anaesthesia and Reanimation A) working in collaboration with the surgeons from the F.E.S.U.M. centre
The F.E.S.U.M Centre at Lapeyronie Hospital also gets help from the Intensive Care Unit for heavy surgery, known as the DAR "A", in dealing with injuries to the hand when there are multiple injuries or major amputations of the upper limb.

The operating theatre consists of an emergency room, two operating microscopes, all the staff and all the necessary equipment for top performance. This ward consists of several operating theatres and is exclusively  devoted to Orthopaedic surgery and Traumatology.

You are about to benefit from a stay in our department :

In view of your operation, you will be summoned and requested to arrive in our department at 3 p.m..
ON THE DAY OF ENTRY, MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN POSSESSION OF :

- Your hospital tickets
- Your x-rays and scan results
- Any eventual complementary examinations requested by the anaesthetist
- The prescription for your usual treatment and corresponding medicine.
- A toilet bag (face flannel, towels, soap).
- Comfortable clothes for the day you leave.
- Parental consent to be operated on if you are under 18 years of age.

Make sure you remove your nail varnish.
Make sure you leave all jewellery and  valuable objects at home.

PREPARING FOR YOUR OPERATION

- The day before your surgical intervention you will be interviewed in the ward by your surgeon and the anaesthetist who may have to prescribe some complementary examinations for you (X-rays, blood test, ECG…)
- On the chart, the nurse will write down all your important health details required for the operation. She will then prepare you and explain everything about your hospital stay.
- The nursing auxiliary will then shave all the area to be operated on.
- You will then take a shower and wash with antiseptic soap the night before and on the morning of the operation.

OFF TO THE OPERATING THEATRE

You will have to eat nothing from midnight onwards (no drinks, no food, no cigarettes)

- You will have to remove dentures and hearing aids and any jewelry
(earrings, studs, necklaces,…)
During the operation your only clothing will be your hospital gown.

RETURN FROM THE OPERATING THEATRE

- Eating and drinking again will depend on your medical prescription.

- The nurse will evaluate your pain using an analogue visual scale and, with a doctor's prescription, will give you the necessary treatment for pain-relief.

- It is important for you not to wait too long for pain to settle in before mentioning it to the nursing staff.

Throughout the whole duration of your hospital saty you will receive regular visit from the surgeons on the ward.

DISCHARGE FROM HOSPITAL

During the morning visit :

The doctors will make out the  prescriptions for : dressings, the chemist's and physiotherapy.

If necessary, don't forget to ask for  a prescription for time off work specifying whether the injury was caused by a professional accident.

An follow-up appointment will be made for you for consultation with the surgeon.

You will be discharged from the hospital at the beginning of the afternoon.

In case of difficulty after your discharge, please contact :
The Orthopaedic Surgery Department on 04 67 33 85 46
Lapeyronie Hospital Casualty Department on 04 67 33 81 68