Surgery Care for Children
When children come in for surgery at Specialty Surgical Center, it is normal for both children and the parents to be nervous. We know that parents are the usually the best comforting mechanism, so we allow parents to be with their child in the recovery room as soon as it is medically safe. Our wonderful team of Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certified doctors and nurses will take great care of your child. To further ease the minds of our parent patients, we made a child care guide so parents feel knowledgeable and prepared before they bring their child to Specialty Surgical Center.
In order to ease everyone’s nerves, you may schedule a tour of our facilities. Sometimes seeing that it isn’t scary helps children sleep better the night before and helps them feel more comfortable. Having a fun night before the surgery also helps to ease nerves because the child is distracted from thoughts about surgery.
Before the surgery, we ask that you do not give your child food or drinks. A nurse will call you before your appointment and let you know just how many hours before the procedure the child should stop eating, because it depends on the type of surgery. Even if the child is uncomfortable, it is vital that you do not give in and give your child food or drink. Under anesthetic, your child’s swallowing muscles become relaxed and they could aspirate (See: Why You Need to Fast Before Surgery). You should bring:
- Medical insurance cards
- A list of medications the child is on and their dosages
- Current immunization records
- Items to make your child more comfortable
Sometimes, we allow the patients to be in the operating room with the patient. However, those are special cases and it is up to the surgeon and anesthesiologist to decide if they will allow you there. Otherwise, we encourage parents to stay in the waiting room because that is the first place our receptionist or doctors will look for you to give updates.
After the surgery, your child will be moved to the PACU, also known as the recovery room. At first, only one parent will be allowed to enter the PACU, but once the child is moved into Stage II Recovery, both parents may stay with the child. Please be prepared and know that your child may still be hooked up to an IV, be wearing an oxygen mask and be connected to a monitor. Siblings or other children will not be allowed in the PACU, so please make other accommodations. Once they get home, our doctors recommend plenty of rest! Your child may be hungry since they couldn’t eat the night before, but be sure to give light meals because anesthesia may cause queasiness.
Specialty Surgical Center is located in Sparta, New Jersey and our staff consists of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists performing procedures in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Spinal Care, Podiatry, Urology, Pain Management, ENT, Hand Surgery, Lithotripsy, Brachytherapy, GYN and Laser Surgery.
For more information about Specialty Surgical Center, call 973-940-3166 or visit our Contact Page.