If your child's doctor decides that your child needs blood or blood products, he or she will explain the reasons for the transfusion.

Even after minor surgery, some children will remain in the hospital overnight for observation and to receive medications to help with pain or to prevent infection.

Common discomforts after surgery include nausea and vomiting, soreness in the throat, and restlessness or sleeplessness.

Glossary of terms relating to surgery in children

Detailed information on surgery in children

Touring the hospital before surgery can help your child see the sights, sounds, and events he or she will experience the day of surgery. It is a non-threatening, often reassuring, way to learn about the hospital.

You will be asked to sign an informed consent form which states in detail that you understand the risks and benefits of your child's surgery.

Intensive care is needed for children who have had certain types of major surgery: heart operations, organ transplants, or neurosurgery.

Detailed information on intraoperative management

Some children develop an allergy to latex. Symptoms include watery or itchy eyes, wheezing, skin rash, and itching of the skin.

Minimally invasive surgery is often used today. It allows the child to recuperate faster and with less pain.

List of online resources to find additional information on surgery

If your child has moderate to severe pain, he or she may receive narcotics during and after surgery. If your child is in the ICU after surgery, he or she may receive sedatives along with pain medications.

Play therapy is used to help children understand and cope with illness, surgery, hospitalization, treatments, and procedures.

Detailed information on postoperative management

Detailed information on preoperative management

This is the time to ask questions: What are the expected results? What are the possible risks and complications? How long will the surgery take?

Detailed information on preparing the child having surgery

When your child goes to the hospital, brothers and sisters may feel afraid, worried, or confused. They are often afraid simply because they do not know what to expect, and they may imagine the worst.

It's important to keep your baby's routine the same before the day of surgery. Make sure you, your baby, and your family are well rested.

One of the major fears preschoolers have is fear of the unknown. Tell your child about the surgery several days before the procedure and perhaps even visit the hospital for a tour.

Have your child explain back to you what is going to happen in the hospital. School-aged children sometimes will listen carefully, but not understand all that was said.

Allow your teen to be part of the decision-making process. Encourage him or her to make a list of questions to ask the doctors and nurses.

Read books to your toddler about going to the hospital. Keep any explanations simple and be careful of the words you use.

Once surgery has been completed, your child will be brought to the recovery room, also called the post-anesthesia care unit.

If your baby requires surgery, you may feel helpless. But there’s something you can do to make the experience a little less traumatic: breastfeed. Not only is it comforting for your baby, but nursing will provide the most nutritious and easily digestible food for a healing body.

Detailed information on surgery in children

Before coming to the hospital, remove any watches, necklaces, or earrings that your child wears and leave them at home so they are not misplaced.

Many surgeries performed on children are done as an outpatient. With minor surgeries, your child will return to the outpatient surgery center after spending the required time in the recovery room.

Your child will need to know that people in the operating room will be wearing surgical clothes to help prevent germs from infecting the surgical incision.

Most surgical teams include a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist, and an operating room nurse. The number of team members differs depending on the type of surgery performed.

Detailed information on surgery in children

During surgery, your child will be given some form of anesthesia—medication given to relieve pain and sensation.

Surgery can be classified as major or minor, depending on the seriousness of the illness, the parts of the body affected, the complexity of the operation, and the expected recovery time.