Our Service Promise

Our Department will deliver safe and effective anesthesia services to our pediatric patients and provide an environment for them and their family suitable to their unique needs.

About Our Program

Our pediatric patients and their families will be treated by experienced and talented clinicains with a passion for the unique aspects of pediatric care. Upon arrival to the Hospital and after checking in the Admitting Office the patients will procede to the 4th floor Ambulatory Surgery Unit (ASU). The pediatric patients and their families enter the surgical area the same way that adult patients do, but there is a special area in the ASU for children that helps ease the patient into the Operating Room setting. The ASU nurses are familiar with the needs of our pediatric patients and will skillfully obtain the pre-surgical information necessary to provide the most comfortable and safest surgical experience. Occasionally, pediatric patients will require oral sedatives to ease the transition from parent or guardian to care giver. The ASU nurse consults with the Anesthesiologist in Charge in order to tailor any medication to the specific needs of the patient.

The Anesthetic Experience

Once the patient is prepared he or she is brought with the parents or guardians to a special area of the Preoperative area, where they will meet the anesthesiologist and the rest of the surgical team. The anesthesia provider will answer questions regarding the anesthetic the family or patient may have. A history of the patient will have already been provided to the anesthesia provider in most cases, so confirmation of that history will take place. At the discretion of the anesthesia provider parents or guardians will be allowed to attend the initiation of anesthesia and will be asked to leave as soon as the patient is asleep. They will then wait in the ASU waiting room until the conclusion of the procedure.

In almost all cases the initiation of anesthesia will take place by inhalation of the anesthetic gas. After the patient is fully asleep and unable to feel pain, the patient receives an IV and breathing tube prior to being placed in the scanner. The anesthesia provider will monitor the depth of the anesthetic during the procedure and administer the necessary medications and fluids for the patient. Upon completion of the procedure the anesthetic will be discontinued. The patient will then be taken to the Post- Anesthesia CAre Unit(PACU) by the anesthesia provider with the IV in place where the patient will remain until the patient is fully recovered. Parents or guardians may accompany the patient to the recovery room in most cases and may attend the child until discharge. If the patient is to be admitted to the hospital after surgery, he or she will be transferred to the hospital room directly from the PACU.

Our department is proud to offer this service to our patients and has an excellent track record of safety.