What anesthesia will my child have?

It could be a general anesthetic or local. General anesthesia involves putting the child entirely to sleep, while with a local anesthetic the child remains awake, with only the area to be operated anesthetized.

Does my child’s intervention require general anesthesia?

Not all pediatric surgical interventions require general anesthesia. This depends on many factors, the most important being the patient’s age. In the smallest children, when collaboration from the child during the intervention is not possible, local anesthesia cannot be considered due to questions of comfort and security.

The second factor to bear in mind is the complexity of the surgical intervention and/or the areas on which it is to be performed. Longer and more complex interventions should be scheduled under general anesthesia.

Operations carried out under local anesthesia are limited to older patients who can collaborate, and in shorter and less complex interventions eg circumcision in more mature boys or operations on non-extensive dermal lesions such as nevi, fibromas, lipomas etc.

 

 

What protocol is followed to determine whether a child can undergo anesthesia?

The boy or girl will be evaluated by the Dept. of Anesthesia following the protocol established by the Society of Pediatric Anesthesiology.

The patient is visited and evaluated by the anesthetist and the family is informed. They must then authorize the intervention by signing a document called Informed Consent.

Is the anesthesia painful?

Pain is controlled as much as possible by the application of topical local anesthetics in the venipuncture area, as well as by the oral administration of a sedative given minutes before entering the operating room. In the case of younger patients the first anesthesia is inhaled while playing with the child and encouraging him or her to inflate a balloon.

Will the child be in pain when he/she awakens?

In all surgical interventions we perform regional anesthetic blocks, meaning that the operated zone will not present any painful sensation upon awakening.

When will I be able to be in contact with my child after the intervention?

In the case of operations carried out under local anesthetic, the child will immediately return to the parents. In those performed under general anesthetic, the patient remains in a recovery room until he or she is completely awake and active. The family is informed immediately upon completion of the surgery, while the patient is transferred to the recovery unit. When the child is completely active again he or she is returned to the parents.

Our admission protocol (work in pediatric surgery/admission protocol in pediatric surgery)

Parents frequently have doubts about whether the child will sleep in the hospital following surgery or will be allowed to return home immediately afterwards. Below we cover the most common question parents have about hospital admission, in the hope of clarifying any doubts beforehand.

Must the child remain hospitalized?

Not in all cases. In older patients it may be possible to perform surgery as an out-patient, meaning that he or she can return home following the intervention. This is the case with all operations carried out under local anesthetic, regardless of age.

Our hospital includes a children’s admission ward, specially designed with individual or double rooms depending on the parents’ choice, decorated with children’s motifs and bright colors in order to make the stay more pleasant.

The staff on the ward and in the operating theatre are specialized personnel with extensive experience in pediatric care. They pay close attention to every detail so that the child feels safe at all times.