A Parent's Guide to Surgery at Shriners Hospital

This information is designed to help parents and children prepare for surgery. It will also cover steps you and your child will go through during the surgery process, such as pre-surgery evaluation, anesthesia, recovery and discharge.

Prior to Surgery

If your child is having a same-day surgery, a nurse will call to give you instructions on the time you and your child should arrive at the hospital. Calls are made the evening before your child's surgery.

During the confirmation call, the nurse will discuss your child's instructions for surgery, including the time your child must stop eating or drinking. It is very important to your child's safety that you follow these instructions closely.

The nurse's call is also intended to give parents an opportunity to ask any questions about their child's preparation or surgical procedure. We welcome questions, so please don't hesitate to ask.

Prior to surgery, you will be reminded about what to bring. To address fears and anxieties about surgery and to learn about pain management following surgery, we require all families participate in our Pre-Op class prior to their surgery date.

Hospital Admission Process

When you arrive, please check in at the admissions desk in the outpatient department and inform the admissions coordinator that you are here for surgery. If you are here for same-day surgery, she will check you in, update information and direct you to the same day surgery unit. If you are here for inpatient surgery, you and your child will report to your nursing division.

Admission Evaluation

We aim to give our patients the highest quality of care. Therefore, patients will be examined by a pediatrician, nurse, an anesthesiologist and perhaps a surgeon and a resident physician prior to surgery. During this examination, you or your child will be asked questions regarding your child's health history. Please be aware this thorough process can be time-consuming.

Preparing for Surgery

A physician will explain the surgical procedure. An operating room nurse and a member of the anesthesiology staff will also visit each patient before the surgery to review the process. Please feel free to ask questions.

Pre-Operative Room

The surgical process begins on the unit (either same-day surgery unit or in-patient nursing division) or in the pre-op holding room. Parents may accompany their child to the pre-op holding area outside the operating suite. Your child may receive a liquid medicine to drink just before anesthesia and surgery to provide relaxation or anxiety relief. Again, feel free to ask questions.

Welcomed By An Operating Room Nurse

An operating room nurse will meet you and your child at the door to surgery and will be with your child during the entire surgical process. Parents may wait in the parent lounge just a few feet down the hall from the operating room during the surgery. During the surgery, parents may be contacted periodically by the operating room nurse to keep them informed about the progress.

In the operating room, a flavor-scented mask will aid in the administration of the initial phase of anesthesia. Your child may choose the flavor. (Older patients may choose to go to sleep intravenously rather than using a mask.) If your child requires an intravenous line, it will be started after he/she has fallen asleep following the start of anesthesia. In most cases, any uncomfortable procedure will be done while your child is under anesthesia.

Recovery

Immediately after surgery, children are moved to the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) or recovery room for close observation as they awaken from anesthesia. When the surgery is finished, the surgeon will meet you to discuss your child's surgery.  Children awake from anesthesia at different rates, so recovery times vary.

Parents are welcome to be with their child during their stay in recovery. Parental visits in the PACU are determined by the child's emotional needs and medical stability. For information on a child's progress on the day of surgery, relatives and friends can call the recovery room at (314) 432-3600, ext. 1266.

What Happens After Surgery

Once your child is medically stable, he/she will be transferred to a nursing unit for the remainder of the hospital stay. If it is a same-day surgery, the PACU nurse will speak with you and provide instructions for your child's at-home care. Your child will need to be awake, alert and drinking some fluids before going home. At that time, or after your child's remaining hospital stay is complete, he or she will be ready for discharge.

For More Information

You may also obtain more information from your child's nursing care coordinator on hospital surgical procedures and routines if your child is admitted. If you're not sure of your child's care coordinator, please call the outpatient department at 314-432-3600, ext. 1135