Anesthesia For Infants And Children At The William Beaumont Hospitals

The anesthesia Department at the William Beaumont hospitals will do everything possible to ensure that your child has a safe and positive experience when undergoing a surgical procedure. We have a select group of highly trained and experienced anesthesiologists who devote special effort to the care of children, and one of these anesthesiologists will care for your child.

Whenever possible, we encourage parents to have their child (ages 4-15 years) attend the Surgical Safari program. This is a special program that allows children to visit the hospital and learn about the surgical experience in a friendly and non-threatening manner. Having information about the surgical/anesthesia experience ahead of time will help make your child’s experience less traumatic. For further information about the Surgical Safari call (800) 633-7377.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF ANESTHESIA?

Today, general anesthesia for children is much safer then it has ever been, particularly when well-trained and experienced individuals administer it. At William Beaumont Hospital we use anesthetic agents that have been proven safe and effective for children and state of the art monitoring systems. These modern improvements in pediatric anesthesia have reduced the chance of your child having a serious anesthetic complication to about one in 250,000.

WHAT ABOUT EATING?

All patients who undergo an elective anesthetic must fast for a period of time before the anesthesia is administered in order to minimize the chance of vomiting and possible resultant aspiration pneumonia. Violations of the feeding guidelines may result in your child’s surgery being delayed or canceled. Remember these guidelines are designed to reduce the risk of your child’s anesthesia and not to make life more difficult for you. DO NOT FEED YOUR CHILD SOLID FOOD AFTER MIDNIGHT THE EVENING PRIOR TO SURGERY.

HOW MUCH ANESTHESIA WILL MY CHILD RECEIVE?

We will administer the appropriate amount of anesthesia for your child, not too much and not too little. It is important to remember that too little anesthesia may be just as much of a problem for your child as too much. In addition, many children over one year of age may receive a medication to sedate them prior to going into the operating room. The decision for such sedation is up to the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist will meet with you and your child in the preoperative holding area to review your child’s medical history and discuss the anesthesia just prior to your child’s surgery. If you have questions about your child’s anesthesia we encourage you to ask any anesthesia staff.

For some outpatient procedures such as ear tube placement and MRI scans, preoperative sedation is not usually used because without it the child will usually recover more quickly and be able to go home sooner.

WHAT KIND OF ANESTHESIA WILL MY CHILD RECEIVE?

General anesthesia is most commonly used for surgical procedures in children. The children are allowed to breathe a rapidly acting anesthetic gas, which allows them to fall asleep rapidly without pain and fear of needles.

WILL MY CHILD HAVE AN I.V. STARTED?

All children undergoing elective surgery will have an I.V. placed after they are asleep and cannot feel the pain of the I.V. needle. Sometimes in small infants it is difficult to place a needle in the vein and several attempts are necessary. Remember, once your child is asleep he/she will not feel the pain or be traumatized by the experience. There are some situations where a child may need an I.V. started prior to surgery. These would include certain types of emergency situations, children with a history of a rare reaction to certain anesthetic agents, or older children who prefer going to sleep with I.V. medication.

CAN PARENTS GO INTO THE OPERATING ROOM?

Parents cannot be present in the anesthetizing location at William Beaumont Hospital. The Anesthesiologists and Surgeons are very sympathetic to the concerns and anxieties of the patient and family; however, we have not found it helpful to have parents in the operating room. No parent, even if they are medical professionals will be allowed into the operating room while their child is under our care. This protocol allows the anesthesia and surgical staff to devote their full attention to the care of your child, and not be distracted for any reason. It is important to note that many children are less anxious when their parents are not present.

WILL MY CHILD NEED A BREATHING TUBE?

Many surgical procedures can be performed without the use of a breathing tube in the child’s windpipe. For certain types of procedures in the throat such as tonsillectomy, head and neck surgery, and major abdominal procedure a breathing tube is usually needed. Your child’s anesthesiologist based on his/her best judgment of your child’s needs will make the final decision. All children are continuously monitored in order to make sure they are breathing appropriately and maintaining normal blood oxygen levels.

WHAT ABOUT NAUSEA?

For most pediatric surgical procedures postoperative nausea and vomiting is uncommon. However, following certain types of surgical procedures such as eye muscle surgery, there may be a greater chance of such problems. The new anesthetic medications used in children are much less likely to cause nausea and vomiting. To help minimize nausea and vomiting following your child’s surgery you should avoid feedings containing heavy fatty foods such as pizza, burgers, and french-fries for 24 hours. Should nausea and vomiting occur, maintain your child on clear liquids until the nausea passes and then advance the child’s diet slowly with simple light foods such as toast and clear soups.

MY BABY IS SO TINY, IS ANESTHESIA SAFE?

Premature infants born before 36 weeks gestation can be sensitive to the respiratory depressant effects of anesthesia for several hours after the surgical procedure is over. For this reason, a premature infant may be kept in the hospital overnight, so that we can properly monitor his/her breathing. All infants who are on apnea monitors at home will be kept overnight in the hospital in order to monitor their breathing.

WHAT IF I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS?

We hope that the above information will answer most of your questions. Remember, you will meet with your child’s anesthesiologist in the preoperative holding area before surgery, and you should be able to ask any additional questions at that time. If you feel that you need to speak with the anesthesiologist before this time regarding your child’s anesthesia, please call the anesthesia department secretary between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday at (248) 551-1905. Leave your name and phone number, and one of the anesthesiologists on the pediatric team will return your call within 24 hours.