GENERAL ANESTHESIA FOR CHILDREN
WHAT TO EXPECT 24 HOURS PRIOR:
- You will be responsible to speak with Dr. Rees or a member of his team regarding your child’s health and health history.
- If you fail to speak with Dr. Rees your appointment will be canceled and any deposits will be forfeited.
- If your child has started showing any signs or symptoms of congestion, cough, upper respiratory tract infection, sinus infection, fever etc. you MUST notify Dr. Rees. This is a safety concern for your child and will likely change your appointment status.
- Keep your child very well hydrated with water or pedialyte up until you put them down for bed the evening prior to your appointment.
- Please print out and read through all forms on this website. Please completely fill out the health and consent forms and bring them to your appointment.
- Your child must fast for 8 HOURS prior to the surgery. This is a safety concern for the child and is taken very seriously. Even a sip or nibble of something can be very dangerous for someone receiving general anesthesia. Please make sure your child is watched closely the morning of the appointment.
WHAT TO EXPECT THE DAY OF YOUR APPOINTMENT:
- Arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your appointment time to cover all paperwork and signatures.
- Dr. Rees will evaluate your child clinically. This is including, but not limited to listening to their heart/breath sounds, taking their weight, taking their vital signs, evaluating their airway, tongue, and tonsils as well as evaluating their extremities to easily identify veins.
- If for any reason Dr. Rees does not feel your child is appropriate for having general anesthesia in the office he will recommend alternate plans of care which could include postponing treatment to a later time or referring patient for inpatient care in a hospital.
- Your child will be given a sedative to start the anesthesia for them. This will be given in the waiting room or common room of the office. This is given as an injection with a needle either in their shoulder or thigh. It is critical that the child be held tightly and not allowed to squirm or suddenly move while receiving this medicine. Once the sedative has been given it will take 3-5 minutes for your child to become deeply sedated. Your child will not lose consciousness from this sedative, however they will not remember or recall anything after the sedative has been given.
- Once your child has become sedated Dr. Rees will take them into his care and transport them immediately into the operating suite.
- There will always be at least one dental assistant with Dr. Rees at all times in the operating room as well as the operating dentist. This typically comprises the surgical team in the operating suite.
- Every patient is monitored continuously from start to finish of the surgery with monitors including EKG, blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, and oxygen levels.
- Every patient will have an IV placed either in their hand, arm, or foot. This is how Dr. Rees helps each patient fall asleep and how their sleep is maintained throughout the surgery. Each patient will also receive fluids through the IV as well.
- The surgical team will keep the family updated throughout the surgery as we are progressing through treatment.
- Family is never allowed into the operating room. This is a standard of care that every operating room adheres to whether in the hospital or in the office. This is for patient safety. No exceptions.
- Once the surgery is complete your child will still be monitored until they start to arouse from the anesthesia. Waking up from general anesthesia is based on a patients metabolism and is not based on any special medicines given to “wake them up.” As your child starts to wake up from the anesthesia the monitors and IV will be removed. Your child will then be moved into a recovery room at which time all the family will be asked back to spend time with them as they awake from the anesthesia.
- Children will often to confused or disoriented as they initially wake up. They may become irritable and cry or through a fit for a while. The more they wake up and orient themselves this will subside.
- You will be kept in the recovery room with your child until they have reached a point that Dr. Rees deems suitable for discharge. Children should be awake, alert, and able to answer questions and follow simple commands prior to being discharged home.
- Please see the instructions for Post Anesthesia Care for all additional instructions that you need for your child once they have been sent home.