The For Patients section of FACS.org provides information about surgical procedures, including pre-operative and post-operative care.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS), a professional organization, publishes the website and prepares its content.
For Patients consists of Preparing for Surgery; The Day of Your Surgery; Recovering from Surgery; Surgery FAQ’s; Find a Doctor and Find a Hospital. The Day of Your Surgery includes patient guides to breast cancer surgery and lung operations, and detailed information about appendectomy, cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), colectomy (partial or full colon removal), colonoscopy, and hernia repair. Recovering from Surgery includes safe pain management and home skills for a central line, feeding tube, ostomy and wound care. A Surgical Risk Calculator gives a personalized estimate of the chance that a patient will have postoperative complications from specific procedures.
Tips for use:
– Recursos en Espanol links to Spanish versions of the operation brochures about appendectomy, cholecystectomy, colectomy, colonoscopy and some types of hernia repair .
Reviewed October 2025