In the recovery room
When the surgery or procedure is finished, we take the breathing tube out and move the child to recovery with the IV in place. This enables us to provide additional medication or fluids if needed without an additional needle. You won’t able to be in the recovery room when your child first opens his eyes, but a nurse will be by his side. We’ll bring you in quickly—usually before your child is fully aware of his surroundings. After the anesthesia, your child may experience nausea and vomiting or agitation. These are common side effects that we can deal with easily. In almost every case, we give medications to prevent post-op nausea and vomiting.
Waking up
It’s often hard to predict how sedated or sleepy a child will be. Depending on the medication used and the child’s response, some children may be awake at the end of the procedure and ready to go home once specific discharge criteria are met. With today’s advanced anesthesia medications, most patients wake up in 10 minutes and are fully aware in 20 minutes. Some children may continue to need monitoring and observation in the recovery room until they’re awake. Most children are able to resume their normal activity within a few hours after the procedure.
The trip home
It’s not uncommon for children to have motion sickness in the car on the way home even if they’ve felt OK in the recovery room. Plan to bring along an extra towel or moistened wipes. Depending on the sedative medication used, children may continue to be sleepy and unsteady on their feet for a few hours after the procedure. We recommend that you observe your child during the ride home.
Getting back to normal
At home, a responsible adult should stay with the child for 12 to 24 hours after sedation. Even if there are no specific limits from your surgeon, it’s smart to delay activities that need coordination, like swimming, use of playground equipment, climbing, riding a bike, roller-blading or skating for 12 to 24 hours, until you’re sure the child is stable and alert. Be sure to follow all discharge instructions from your surgeon and doctor.
Eating and drinking
When it isn’t contraindicated by the surgery, we start children on clear liquids—water, Pedialyte, Popsicles—in the recovery room. In most cases, children can eat solid foods within two to four hours after the procedure if their appetite has returned and there’s no lingering nausea.
Keeping pain under control
While children are in the recovery room, we administer enough pain-control medication to keep them comfortable during the first one or two hours. If they’re staying overnight in the hospital, we’ll provide something longer lasting that will diminish pain for three to six hours. The surgeon will write additional orders for medication to control breakthrough pain after this initial period.