Studies show that patients recover faster from surgery when they can stand and move soon after surgery and when they can recover at home, instead of in the hospital.

Our experts use a carefully planned approach to help you recover faster after surgery. Our Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocol helps improve your experience by:

• Encouraging safe movement with visits from physical therapists after your surgery
• Doing magnetic resonance imaging of your brain hours after your surgery is complete
• Using the smallest effective dose of anesthesia

Thanks to these steps and careful planning, most of our patients return home the day after their surgery.

Who Is a Candidate?

All of our patients, including those who undergo craniotomies, receive care designed to help them recover faster. Most patients will be able to go home the day after surgery.

Tests

Before your surgery, you’ll meet with your neurosurgeon and anesthesiologist. They will help you understand what to expect before, during, and after surgery. Your anesthesiologist will use information about your health to create an effective sedation plan that will reduce your pain and keep you asleep during surgery using as little medicine as possible.

After your surgery, you’ll have a visit from physical therapists who can help you safely get out of bed and walk. Walking around is essential for recovery. That same night, you’ll also have an MRI of your brain. The MRI allows your physician to check for any possible problems or complications. It helps them know that it is safe for you to return home the next day.

The morning after your surgery, you’ll receive another visit from a physical therapist. They will help you walk and ensure that you can safely go home.

You should be able to return home in the afternoon, once your care team has determined it is safe. They will give you instructions on how to care for any incisions and bandages as well as medicines for any pain. If you have any questions about your instructions, you should always ask your nurse.

Why Choose Us?

Groundbreaking brain tumor treatment. Experts from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and UHealth make up one of the largest and most complete teams for brain tumor treatment in the United States. Through multi-disciplinary cooperation, our team employs innovative procedures like awake craniotomies, Gamma Knife® radiosurgery, and many other techniques. We use the least invasive neurosurgical techniques on both adults and children, which reduces recovery time and makes a significant difference in your quality of life.

Dedicated brain tumor experts. Your care team consists of specialized physicians and researchers who are committed to brain tumor care. Your team may include neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, radiation oncologists, neuropathologists, and other physicians who focus solely on treating brain tumors. Their years of experience and expertise help you find the right treatment for you.

Innovative research that changes the future of brain tumor care. As the only academic medical center in the area, we are on the cutting edge of brain tumor treatment and research. As a patient at UHealth, you also have access to the innovative research and the latest in clinical trials. Our ongoing translational and clinical research has spawned promising treatments like the heat shock protein vaccine and targeted therapies designed for your specific type of brain tumor.

International leaders in brain tumor care. We play a vital role in the community, thanks to our groundbreaking research and patient care for people in Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. We’re turning Miami into the healthcare capital of the Americas. We’re creating one of the premier brain tumor centers in the country.

Surgical expertise. We perform thousands of brain tumor surgeries every year and care for more brain tumors than any other health center in Florida. Our skilled neurosurgeons are consistently pioneering new treatments. From minimally invasive spine surgeries to awake craniotomies, we offer unique surgeries you cannot find anywhere else in the region.

Concierge service. Patients do not have to figure it all out alone. Patients are assigned a concierge coordinator who is there for you and your family while you are in our care. They connect you with other providers you may need, walk you through the surgery process, and can answer any questions you or your family may have.