Before your surgery, you will be moved to either a pre-operative room or directly to the operating room. If you feel anxious or scared, as many patients do, you can ask for medication to help you relax.

To prepare you for surgery, patches will be put on the skin of your chest, arms, or legs for an electrocardiogram, or EKG. An EKG shows the electrical activity of your heart.

Your anesthesia team will place a number of tubes and intravenous, or 'IV,' lines in different parts of your body. These will be used during and after your surgery. Exactly where and when these tubes and IV lines are placed will vary, but most of them will be placed after you are asleep in the operating room.

Your healthcare professional will use your intravenous fluid line to give you medications and fluids during the surgery. You will also receive antibiotics so there is less of a chance for infections. A second IV, called an arterial line, may be put in one of your arteries. This usually goes in your right wrist, and it helps check your heart rate and blood pressure. A third IV may be put in a vein in your neck or upper chest.