Brochure

Children Are Special

Children, especially young children, are not just miniature adults. As your child grows their body and physiology(how the body works) changes. You child’s social and psychological needs are also different from those of adults. To safely care for children, especially babies and toddlers, pediatric anesthesiologists are best equipped to understand how a child’s body works, reacts to medications and anesthesia and how childhood illnesses differ from those in older patients. The physicians of NTCA practice neonatal/pediatric anesthesia full-time and have a combined subspecialty experience of over 100 years. You can be assured that your child will have the widest range of treatment options.

Comfort And Peace of Mind For Your Child

Children have natural fears of the unknown. Anything you can do to relieve these anxieties (bring a favorite blanket or toy) will greatly improve your child’s experience. Like adults, children tolerate surgery and anesthesia better when they are well prepared. Reassure your child by explaining beforehand everything that will be done during his or her hospital stay. Although it is natural for parents to have anxiety when their children are about to have surgery, it is best not to convey this to your child. Your composure as a parent is essential. Nothing calms a child more than a confident parent.

Before Surgery

If your child has a complex medical condition, it is important that your referring physician provides our office with the necessary information to allow for a pre-operative anesthetic evaluation prior to the procedure. In otherwise healthy children, please notify your doctor if there are any changes in your child’s health in the week prior to the procedure. Remember, the anesthesiologist always has your child’s safety in mind.

A pediatric anesthesiologist will make every effort to call you the night before the procedure to discuss your child’s medical history and preparation for anesthesia. Please take a moment to fill out the PATIENT INFORMATION AND TIME SHEET on the back of this brochure. This will ensure a clear understanding of when your child should stop eating or drinking, arrival time and time of your child’s procedure.

The Day Of The Procedure

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.

Going Home

Once your child is ready to be discharged, you will be given postoperative instructions. After you return home, be sure to follow your doctor’s orders regarding diet, activity and medications. Be aware that side effects to medications can occur, such as nausea, dizziness and constipation that occur with narcotics (codeine, Lortab). Please do not hesitate to call your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.

Copyright © 2004 North Texas Children's Anesthesia