General Anesthetics
Dr. Theresa P. Chiang offers: (ask her what she offers)
- general — in which your child would be “asleep”
- regional — when one large area of the body is numbed
- local — when one small part of the body is numbed
To ease your mind and feel better informed, here’s a quick look at what may happen before, during, and after on the day of your child’s procedure at a hospital or surgery center.
Before Surgery
Besides doing a physical examination of your child’s airways, heart, and lungs, Dr. Theresa P. Chiang will also want to get your child’s medical history, which will include asking about:
- your child’s current and past health
- your family’s health
- any medicines, supplements, or herbal remedies your child takes (consider bringing a list of exactly what your child takes, detailing how much and how often)
- any previous reactions your child or any blood relative has had to anesthesia
- any allergies (especially to foods, medicines, or latex) your child may have
whether your child smokes, drinks alcohol, or takes recreational drugs (this usually applies to older teenagers)
The anesthesiologist, surgeon, or someone on the nursing staff will let you know whether your child can eat or drink before surgery. It’s important to make sure that your child doesn’t eat anything before surgery (usually nothing after midnight the day before the operation). You’ll get specific instructions based on your child’s age, medical condition, and the time of day of the procedure.
Why is eating before surgery an issue? Because the body normally has reflexes that prevent food from being aspirated (or inhaled) into the lungs when it’s swallowed or regurgitated (thrown up). But anesthetic medicines can suspend these reflexes, which could cause food to become inhaled into the lungs if there is vomiting or regurgitation under anesthesia. Sometimes, though, the anesthesiologist will say it’s OK to drink clear liquids or take specific medicines a few hours before surgery.
Questions to Ask
You can also ask plenty of your own questions. If you don’t meet the anesthesiologist before the day of the operation, you may want to ask your doctor or surgeon these questions days, or even weeks, beforehand so you and your child can have all the answers you need:
(coordinate how is done by Dr. Theresa P. Chiang)
- Am I allowed to be with my child before surgery? If so, for how long?
- Am I allowed to be with my child while the anesthesia is being given?
- What kind of anesthesia will my child be given?
- How will the anesthesia be administered — with an injection, through an IV, or with a breathing mask or tube in the throat?
- Will my child be sedated before the anesthesia is given?
- Approximately how long will the surgery take?
- Will my child still have an IV in or be hooked up to any monitors or equipment after the surgery is over?
- How long will it take my child to fully wake up from general anesthesia or feel the area if local or regional anesthesia was used?
- Will my child feel pain and/or discomfort (such as nausea or vomiting) after surgery? If so, how long will it last and what can be done about it?
- How soon after the surgery can I see my child?
- How soon after the surgery can my child eat, drink, go to school, or drive [if you have a teen]?
- How soon after the surgery can my child come home?
- When you meet with the anesthesiologist, you’ll also be asked to sign an informed consent form, which authorizes the use of anesthesia. It’s important to make sure to have all of your questions answered before signing the form.
If your child is younger than 3 years old and is scheduled to receive general anesthesia or be under sedation for 3 hours or more, talk with the doctor or surgeon about possible risks related to brain development.
If like many kids, your child is afraid of needles, the good news is that he or she may not have to get one while awake. Pediatric anesthesiologists often will begin the induction process by giving inhaled medicine. This is helpful because kids can have a hard time staying still and calm. The mask delivers medicine to make kids sleepy and help them relax before and during the surgery. That way, they’ll already be asleep when the IV is inserted for general anesthesia or when a shot is given to numb a certain part or area of the body for local or regional anesthesia.
After Surgery
Your child may feel groggy, confused, chilly, nauseated, scared, alarmed, or even sad while waking up. Depending on the procedure or surgery, your child may also have some pain and discomfort.