Clinical Sections

Pediatric Anesthesia

Pediatric Preadmission Program

The goals of this program are to help the child and his/her parents become familiarized with the operating room surroundings, and to address the issues related to the preoperative period. This program allows the children to visit the Children's Hospital before their actual scheduled surgical day. The children and their parents have the chance to meet with the anesthesiologist(s), to discuss the child's medical illness, to discuss the potential anesthetic plan, and to answer their questions related to anesthesia. A nurse will explain the rules and regulations related to perioperative period. In addition, the childlife specialist will help become familiar with all the monitors and equipment that will be used during surgery and to help them become more comfortable with the operating room environment. The child's siblings are also included, and the family is treated as a whole unit.

This unique program was begun in 1993 when the Children's Hospital Operating Rooms were first opened. Over the past eight years, there has been a steady increase in the number of Pediatric Preadmission Visits. Our success is evident by the fact that children who have a preadmission visit appear calmer on the day of the procedure, and the parents and siblings are also more comfortable and relaxed. Our program is very unique because each patient and his/her family receives individual, personalized, preoperative preparation.