The Day Of The Procedure

— Before Surgery ——- The Day Of The Procedure —— Going Home —

Arriving at the medical center…

Your doctor or the medical center will inform you of the time you should arrive, usually 60-90 minutes prior to the scheduled procedure. After checking in, a nurse will confirm the last time your child has had any food or drink. Your child will then have a physical examination. The procedure will be discussed with you so you know exactly what to expect. Please fell free to ask questions at any time.

The majority of children require a pre-procedure sedative to allow anxiety-free separation from their parents. Choosing the right method will depend on your child; the most common methods are drinking the medicine (“goofy juice”) or nose drops. Almost all children have anesthesia induced with a mask and gas; we avoid “iv”s and “shots” if at all possible.

After all of your questions have been answered by the pediatric anesthesiologist, your child will then be taken to the operating room. You will be asked to wait in the family waiting room. If your child is having a long procedure you can expect to be notified of their progress periodically.

Our pediatric anesthesiologists remain at your child’s side the entire time in the operating room, monitoring vital signs and maintaining your child under anesthesia. Under anesthesia your child does not feel any discomfort or have any memory of the procedure. At the end of the procedure your child will be taken to the recovery room under the supervision of the pediatric anesthesiologist. After your child is safely out of the anesthetized state, a nurse with post-anesthesia training will continue care for your child in the recovery room. They will administer any additional medicines needed for your child’s comfort and reunite you with your child as soon as possible.

Several methods of postoperative pain relief are available according to the type and extent of surgery. Postoperative pain control is achieved with pain medications taken by mouth, intravenous (IV) medications or local anesthetic nerve blocks (e.g. caudal epidural blocks) that are performed while your child is under anesthesia. The pediatric anesthesiologist and surgeon will discuss with you the best option to minimize your child’s discomfort after surgery.

Return to Anesthesia Page