Patients can help decrease surgical risks by following pre-surgery advice

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Dr. Richard McAdory, a general surgeon at North Mississippi Medical Center, often uses the da Vinci robotic-assisted surgical platform to assist in the surgeries he performs.

TUPELO – You're scheduled for surgery, but not immediately. Rather than spend the wait worrying, there are things you, as the patient, can do to ensure the best possible surgical outcome and the most effective healing.

"You know you're going to have surgery, make sure that you will have someone at home who will be there with you to help after surgery - physically and emotionally," said Dr. Richard McAdory, general surgeon at North Mississippi Medical Center.

Being active and staying active before surgery can facilitate a speedier recovery. Eating a well-balanced, nutritional diet with a minimum of processed foods can also contribute to a successful surgery and recovery.

Smokers and diabetics go into a surgery with greater risks.

"Smoking is bad for your heart, your lungs and your recovery from surgery," McAdory said. "We know that smokers have tougher times recovering and have higher complication rates either before, during or after surgery."

McAdory makes it clear he includes vaping, not just smoking cigarettes.

"So under general anesthesia, smoking/vaping can increase risks of any kind of pulmonary issues and respiratory issues during or after surgery," he said. "Recovery is harder, there can be more pain and recovery is slower."

The length of time and how much someone has smoked can put his/her health in crisis or at risk.

"Be honest with your doctor," McAdory said. "Let them know what you smoke and how much you smoke."

Amy Boone is a registered nurse and senior director of surgical services at North Mississippi Medical Center. She recommends smokers and vapers quit … in general, but especially before undergoing surgery.

"If there is a possibility you could stop before surgery or have a six- to eight-week window that would allow you to withhold from tobacco, that would be ideal from a healing perspective," Boone said.

Diabetics, especially those whose sugar is not under control, are also at higher risk of complications while undergoing surgery.

"Not only should the patient be honest with the surgeon regarding what sugars usually run, but the surgeon should speak with the patient's primary care physician to see if they are safe for surgery," Boone said. "There may be situations in which a patient is undergoing spine surgery or joint replacement surgery and sugars are very high or out of control, and that can put patient at risk for infections or post-operative problems."

If surgery can be delayed until sugars are better controlled, it would be ideal.

"It is crucial to stay hydrated for surgery," McAdory said. "Unless you have a restriction because of heart failure or advice by your physician, try to stay hydrated - it will help the healing process."

Post-surgery

Restrictions after surgery depend on what kind of surgery was performed.

"If there are minimal or no restrictions, then you should be as active as you can be as soon as you can be," McAdory said. "Obviously, there will be some recovery after any procedure, but unless we talk about some type of restriction, I would want you back to full activities as soon as you feel like you can finish your full activity."

How quickly that happens, McAdory said, depends on the type of surgery you underwent. Still, any form of exercise is better than none.

"But I think movement and exercise are probably the things most undervalued," McAdory said. "By movement and exercise, I'm not talking about gym life. Just moving. Just walking. Walk."

McAdory recommends 30 minutes at a steady pace.

"Again, I think movement is one of the most underutilized or undervalued thing there is," he said. "After many surgeries, like joints, spine, back, colon and bariatric – patients are up and walking the day of surgery. No surgeries are without pain, but the goal is trying to keep that pain at a manageable level. The pain is also addressed by movement. The more you move, the less you hurt."

Stretching and strengthening muscles prior to surgery is also important and can help with the recovery process.

In some instances, a patient may have the option of robotic surgeries. There is a lower risk and high effectiveness with robotic surgeries.

"The intuitive da Vinci robot-assisted surgical platform can decrease a patients' length of stay," Boone said. "It can decrease pain and blood loss, both of those things lead to improved surgical outcomes.

"We have the biggest robotic program in the state of Mississippi. We do about 2,000 cases a year."

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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 2:18 PM.