What to expect when your child is going to have an operation...

Before your child is booked for surgery, Dr Stevens will ensure that he goes over all relevant aspects of the procedure and the related risks and possible complications. It is important at this time that you feel comfortable to ask any questions that you and your child may have.

Every patient will be given specific starvation guidelines to follow on the day of the procedure. Please adhere to these STRICTLY, as they are in place to ensure that we minimize the anaesthetic risk to your child as much as possible. Failure to adhere to the guidelines you are given may lead to a delay in your child's operation time on the day, or even postponement to another day.

On the day of the operation Dr Stevens will see you and your child in the ward after your admission. It is here that he will go over the operation one last time and you will be able to ask any further questions you may have.
The anaesthetist will also see you and your child in the ward prior to the operation. They will discuss with you the various anaesthetic options available for your child's procedure. Some children will be given "premedication" prior to surgery, this is at the anaesthetists discretion. In emergency procedures the anaesthetist may only see you for the first time when you and your child arrive in theatre.

You will then accompany your child to the theatre admission area. Depending on your child's age we may request that one parent accompany the child into theatre until they are asleep. We then ask that you wait outside theatre for the duration of the operation. We will endeavour to keep you updated for the duration of the operation. Please be aware however that during the surgery our focus as a team is completely on your child, it is difficult for us to reply to requests from parents for updates on the procedure. Remember the old adage – "No News is Good News". Rest assured as soon as the operation is complete Dr Stevens will personally inform you of the outcome.

After the operation your child will be transferred to a ward appropriate to the level of care they require, this may be a general paediatric ward or an ICU ward. Dr Stevens will have discussed the likely postoperative course with you prior to the operation. Every operation on every child is different and while you can discuss how long your child is likely to remain admitted in hospital, each case is treated separately. Your child will need to remain in hospital as long as they need to recover to a safe level for them to be discharged.