Bring a list of all your medications with you. If you are diabetic and take insulin, ask your doctor about modifying your insulin dose for the day of the procedure. If you take the blood thinner Coumadin, you must tell your doctor so that it can be stopped. Your doctor can then prescribe medication to minimize allergic reaction and will take special precautions during the procedure. Let your doctor know if you are or suspect that you may be pregnant.
Biliary drainage is safe, but complications can occur.
Before your biliary drainage, a staff member will talk to you and your family about the procedure and answer your questions. Before the procedure, an IV line will be placed in your vein to give you fluids and medications during the procedure. The doctor will first inject anesthetic into the area where the catheter will be placed. You will only feel pressure as the doctor guides a needle into your bile duct, followed by a guide wire and the drainage catheter. The catheter will be connected to a drainage bag.