Preparing for PTE Surgery
If you have PTE surgery at UC San Diego Health, your care team will understand your concerns and make you comfortable throughout your procedure and recovery.
Our specialists are trained in this lifesaving PTE surgery to clear your lung’s arteries of chronic blood clots due to chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).
Before PTE Surgery
Aside from the tests required to determine whether pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE) surgery is the right procedure for you, several things need to be handled before your surgery:
- Complete the application and medical history information in the Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy Program packet (which will be mailed to you) and send it back.
- Have your medical summary sent to the medical team at UC San Diego. This information will be reviewed by a PTE team member, who will contact you and your physician regarding the arrangements that need to be made.
Where to Stay in San Diego
You will receive a packet with information on housing options when you schedule your treatment.
View Lodging Near UC San Diego Health
Paying for Your Stay
We realize that staying in San Diego for approximately three weeks can be costly, despite our ongoing efforts to help you minimize your expenses wherever possible. Therefore, we recommend that you be financially prepared to cover the following costs:
- Airfare, including additional fees for oxygen in-flight (if you are flying)
- Oxygen during your hotel stay and/or transportation to and from the airport
- Rental car bills and gasoline (if you rent a car during your stay)
- Hotel bills, including phone calls
- Meals outside the hospital
- Incidental expenses
- Various unexpected expenses
Medication and Oxygen During Your Stay
We will handle your medications while you are hospitalized. However, you will need to plan for any medicines you'll need while you are an outpatient or during your hotel stay.
Please bring an ample supply of those medications or plan to pay for them out of pocket in San Diego. This includes any prescriptions your UC San Diego Health doctors may write outside of your hospitalization time.
If you are on oxygen before you arrive in San Diego, ask your oxygen company if they are affiliated with an oxygen company here. If not, there are several independent oxygen delivery companies in San Diego, including:
- Apria
- Lincare
- Prescribed Oxygen
We can provide you with contact information for these companies and help you make arrangements for oxygen delivery.