The Child Having Surgery
If your baby needs surgery, you may feel helpless. But there's something you can do to make this experience a little less stressful: breastfeed. Read on for helpful tips.
Read on for helpful information about what to expect before and after your child's surgery.
Detailed information on surgery in children
During surgery, your child will be given some form of anesthesia - medicine given to relieve pain and sensation.
Detailed information on intraoperative management
Your child will need to know that people in the operating room will be wearing surgical clothes to help prevent germs from infecting the surgical incision.
Most surgical teams include a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist, and an operating room nurse. The number of team members differs depending on the type of surgery performed.
Common discomforts after surgery include nausea and vomiting, soreness in the throat, and restlessness or sleeplessness.
Detailed information on postoperative management
Intensive care is needed for children who have had certain types of major surgery: heart operations, organ transplants, or neurosurgery.
Learn what you can expect about hospital discharge after your child has minor surgery.
If your child has moderate to severe pain, they may receive narcotics during and after surgery. If your child is in the ICU after surgery, they may receive sedatives along with pain medicines.
Play therapy is used to help children understand and cope with illness, surgery, hospitalization, treatments, and procedures.
Once surgery is done, your child will be brought to the recovery room, also called the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).
Touring the hospital before surgery can help your child see the sights, sounds, and events they will experience the day of surgery. It is a nonthreatening, often reassuring, way to learn about the hospital.
Detailed information on preoperative management
You will be asked to sign an informed consent form. It states in detail that you understand the risks and benefits of your child's surgery.
This is the time to ask questions: What are the expected results? What are the possible risks and complications? How long will the surgery take?
Have your child explain back to you what is going to happen in the hospital. School-aged children sometimes will listen carefully, but not understand all that was said.
Detailed information on preparing the child having surgery
It's important to keep your baby's routine the same before the day of surgery. Make sure you, your baby, and your family are well rested.
One of the major fears preschoolers have is fear of the unknown. Tell your child about the surgery several days before the procedure and perhaps even visit the hospital for a tour.
When your child goes to the hospital, brothers and sisters may feel afraid, worried, or confused. They're often afraid simply because they don't know what to expect, and they may imagine the worst. Here's what you can do to help.
Allow your teen to be part of the decision-making process. Encourage them to make a list of questions to ask the healthcare providers.
Read books to your toddler about going to the hospital. Keep any explanations simple and be careful of the words you use.
Detailed information on surgery in children
Detailed information on surgery in children
Surgery doesn't always mean large incisions. Minimally invasive surgery is often used today. This uses small cuts, and allows a child to recover faster and with less pain.
Many surgeries performed on children are done as an outpatient. With minor surgeries, your child will return to the outpatient surgery center after spending the needed time in the recovery room.
Symptoms of latex allergy include watery or itchy eyes, wheezing, hives, flushing or a skin rash, itching, or swelling.