GOING TO THEATRE A BRIEF GUIDE TO YOUR CHILD S ANAESTHETIC

GOING TO THEATRE A BRIEF GUIDE TO YOUR CHILD S ANAESTHETIC Information Leaflet Your Health. Our Priority.

of 7 On admission to the Tree House You will be shown to your bed on the children s ward and have a guided tour of the ward and the playroom. You will meet your nurse who will get to know you. There are lots of toys and games on the ward for you to enjoy. To have an anaesthetic (go to sleep) safely it is important you do not have anything to eat for six hours and nothing to drink for three hours before going to theatre. This also means no sweets or chewing gum. The operation may be delayed or postponed if you have eaten or drunk anything. It is important to avoid dehydration as much as possible, it is therefore advised to have something to eat or drink before fasting begins (details below) Morning Operations If your operation is in the morning, you should eat before midnight. You should drink a small glass of non-fizzy water before 6.00am. Afternoon Operations If your operation is planned for the afternoon you should have a light breakfast (for example, non-fizzy drink, cereal/toast) before 7 o clock in the morning. You should drink a glass of nonfizzy water before 10.00am. You will be visited by some doctors and nurses before you are due to go to theatre. The surgeon will visit to check all is well, and your nurse will help to explain everything. Your anaesthetist (the doctor who will send you to sleep) will visit. He or she will ensure that you are OK to have an anaesthetic and explain what will happen when you go off to sleep. You may be offered a sedative (sleepy medicine) to help you prepare for this. You will also have magic cream put on your hands. The tiny needle we use for the anaesthetic medicine will hurt only a little or not at all.

of 7 Going to theatre You will have a special gown to wear and your normal pants underneath. A trolley may come from theatre, or often you can walk to theatre with (or be carried by) your mum, dad or carer. Your ward nurse will also come with you. You can bring your favourite cuddly toy, especially if you normally go to sleep with one. In most cases your parent or carer can stay with you until you go off to sleep. Some older children may prefer to go to theatre with the nurse only. Parents you may feel that being present when your child goes to sleep will distress you. Do not feel guilty or embarrassed about this, it is very natural. Your child s nurse is very experienced and will put your child at ease, so if you would rather not go with your child then you should not feel you have to. Arriving in theatre The doctors and nurses all wear green or blue clothing in theatre. They look like pyjamas! They also have blue hats and sometimes masks. You will meet the nurse who helps with your anaesthetic and you will be asked some questions to check who you are and that you are ready for your operation. Then you come into the anaesthetic room. This is where you go to sleep. There are lots of machines; some make bleeping noises! You may have some sticky pads on your chest to measure your heartbeat and a peg on your finger this is routine and doesn t hurt. Then the doctor will get you off to sleep. Usually this is done with sleepy medicine in the back of your hand. Sometimes we use magic gas (wind) that smells like felt tip pens! You should think nice thoughts or count slowly to ten and very soon you are asleep.

of 7 The operation After you are fully asleep your surgeon will perform your operation. The anaesthetic doctor will stay with you the whole time to look after you and keep you safely asleep until the operation is over. Then you will be gently woken up. After the operation You will wake up in the recovery room, where you will stay a short period of time until the doctors and nurses are happy you are well. Then you will return to your bed on the ward. Often your mum, dad or carer will come to collect you with the ward nurse. Some operations can be uncomfortable afterwards and you will be given medicine while you are asleep to help take this away. This may be a special tablet called a suppository given into your bottom, or a small injection. These are only done before you wake up so you will not feel them. Back on the ward You may be quite sleepy for a few hours after the operation. When the nurses think you are ready you will be given a drink and allowed out of bed. You may also be hungry and be given a little to eat. It is best to avoid fizzy drinks. It is always a good idea to take things slowly at first. Parents frequently asked questions Is an anaesthetic dangerous for my child? The anaesthetic is a highly trained doctor with a lot of experience in giving anaesthetics. It is very unusual for things to go seriously wrong. Children usually tolerate operations and anaesthetics better than adults. Throughout the whole of life, someone is at least 100 times more likely to have a serious road accident than die as a result of anaesthesia. Extremely rare however, children can die or be permanently disabled as a consequence of an anaesthetic. Current information suggests this occurs in 1 in 200,000 anaesthetics in children. However children with long-term illnesses or emergency conditions have a higher risk.

of 7 Are there any side effects of anaesthetics? As in adults, children can have a sore throat, feel sick or have pain after an operation. These only last a short time and the nurses will advise and give medication as required. Some children can be clingy or difficult for a short while after an operation. They may not sleep as well as they normally do. This passes after a week or two. How will my child s pain be treated? Your anaesthetist has a number of ways of treating postoperative pain depending on the type of surgery the child is undergoing. For example in many cases, we use local anaesthetics to numb the area while the child is asleep, so that when they wake up they are pain-free. Often we give paracetamol and other routine painkillers by suppository or injection during the anaesthetic. These can be topped up by mouth afterwards. Your child s anaesthetist will discuss this fully with you before the operation. Will it be injection or gas? In most cases we are able to use an injection to get your child off to sleep. The magic cream means this is usually painless. It is very quick and smooth. If it proves difficult to find a suitable vein, or there are other strong reasons, we use gas. This is done through a clear mask, which has a fruity smell. It takes about one minute and the child can be a little restless as they fall asleep. The anaesthetist will discuss this with you on the ward before your child goes to theatre. Can I come with my child to theatre? Yes. We request only one parent though there is not enough room for more! Your child can bring a favourite cuddly toy, which will be there when they wake up. As soon as your child goes to sleep you must return to the ward promptly to allow us to concentrate fully on your child. Watching your child have an anaesthetic can be emotionally demanding, especially with younger children, but your ward nurse will be with you throughout and will answer any immediate questions that you may have. For minor (non-orthopaedic) operations, some children can wear their own clothing or pyjamas to come to theatre. However, it is important that there is no metal, buttons, zip etc. in these clothes. Therefore clean soft cotton trousers/jogging pants or pyjamas with elastic waists and loose cotton tops/t-shirts are ideal. However, for some procedures your child may be asked to change into an appropriate theatre gown. Why might the anaesthetist postpone the operation? Common reasons for postponement of the operation include a cold or chesty cough or other illness. However if the cold is clearing up or it s just a sniffle, the operation may still be able to go ahead. Also if a child has eaten food or drank a significant amount too close to the time of the operation it will be delayed or postponed. Occasionally children are found to have a heart murmur (noisy blood flow in the heart) which has to be investigated before an anaesthetic is given.

of 7 If you have any further questions, we suggest you make a note here and ask the anaesthetist when he or she visits you before your child s operation Prepared by the staff of the children s unit in association with Dr T M Ramsay, Lead Anaesthetist for Children s Anaesthesia. Contact us Rainforest ward 0161 419 2158 Mulberry ward 0161 419 2153 (not 24 hour service)

of 7 If you would like this leaflet in a different format, for example, in large print, or on audiotape, or for people with learning disabilities, please contact: Patient and Customer Services, Poplar Suite, Stepping Hill Hospital. Tel: 0161 419 5678. Email: PCS@stockport.nhs.uk. Our smoke free policy Smoking is not allowed anywhere on our sites. Please read our leaflet 'Policy on Smoke Free NHS Premises' to find out more. Leaflet number PAED48 Publication date June 2015 Review date June 2017 Department Tree House Children s Unit Location Stepping Hill Hospital