Cardiac Surgery Program - Children's Hospital Boston

300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 355-6000

Clinical Services (Cardiac Surgery Program):

What to Expect

Every patient scheduled for surgery will have a pre-operative appointment. At pre-op, you and your child will receive information about the upcoming surgery, including when to stop eating, what time to arrive at the hospital, what will happen during surgery, how long you'll have to stay at the hospital, what kind of anesthesia should be given, and other instructions.

Pre-op visits generally take a full day. All children under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to their pre-operative appointment.

On the the day of the cardiac pre-op visit, check in at the main pre-op/admitting area located on the first floor in the main hospital. You will then be sent directly to the Pre-Op cardiac office on the second floor in the Farley building.

A nurse practitioner will talk with you and your child and perform a physical examination. You and your child will also meet with a cardiologist, surgical fellow, anesthesiologist and your cardiovascular surgeon.

A tour of the Cardiac Inpatient Unit and the Cardiac ICU can also be arranged during your pre-op visit if wanted.

Cardiac pre-op appointments begin at 8:30 a.m. and go until 5 p.m. A child life specialist is always available to explain to your child what goes on during a surgery or cardiac catheterization.

Tests that may be ordered for your child during his or her pre-op appointment include blood tests, chest X-Rays, MRIs, echocardiograms, EKGs and lung scans. Also, blood will be drawn so it can be analyzed and so it will be available during surgery.

For more information or any questions, please contact the Cardiac Pre-op Clinic, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 617-355-6095.

On the day of surgery, your child will go to the Cardiovascular Inpatient Unit (8 East), on the 6th floor of the main hospital in Boston, at his or her scheduled time. Your child's pre-op nurse will greet you when you arrive on 6 East. The nurse will admit your child and escort you and your child to the activity room to wait for surgery.

As time for surgery approaches, an operating room assistant will escort you and your child to the inpatient pre-operative holding area. Two adults may be with each child in the pre-operative holding area. In this area, you and your child will meet the operating room nurse and anesthesiologist who will care for your child during the operation.

With inpatient admissions, many of the preparations are the same as same-day admissions, except that your child will already be in the hospital.

He or she may need an electrocardiogram, chest X-Ray, echocardiogram and blood work. You will meet with your child's cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, cardiac surgical resident, cardiology fellow and the cardiac anesthesiologist, and will be shown around the Cardiovascular Inpatient Unit (6 East), where your child will be admitted. You may also tour the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit the night before surgery.

The pre-operative information explained to your child will be geared to your child's developmental level and your comfort level. There is a Pre-Admission Program run by the hospital's child life specialists on Wednesday afternoons. Please call 617-355-6470 for more information.

What about anesthesia?

There are a variety of methods to put your child to sleep and maintain that sleep for a surgical or other type of procedure. Anesthetic plans are individualized for each patient.

The choice of which type of anesthesia to use is made by the anesthesiologist after consideration of many factors including your child's age, medical condition(s) and the procedure they need to have.

Usually, children are given some form of sedative to take by mouth (occasionally an injection is required), after which they are given additional anesthetic drugs that are inhaled through a mask or given through an intravenous line (which is placed after the child is sedated or completely unconscious).

To make the experience less traumatic for your child, the inhaled medications are candy or fruit-scented. This helps mask any unpleasant odors. Your child will be allowed to choose the flavor or scent that he would like.

Where do parents wait during surgery?

When your child goes to the operating room, you will be shown to the family waiting area, located next to the operating room on the 3rd floor of the main building at Children's. A surgical liaison nurse, who is in contact with the operating room, will update you at all stages of surgery. When surgery is completed, the surgeon will meet with you in the family waiting area to discuss your child's operation and status.

How long will the surgery take?

The length of surgery depends on the complexity of each child's case. Your child's surgeon can best estimate the amount of time that the surgery will take. Once surgery is completed and you have met with your child's surgeon, you may go to the parent room in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit until your child is settled in on the unit. This is usually about one hour after your child returns from the Operating Room.

Can my child eat before the surgery?

Because anesthesia relaxes the muscles that normally prevent food and drink from entering your lungs, adults undergoing anesthesia should refrain from eating or drinking solid foods or most liquids (other than water or clear juices) for at least eight hours before surgery. The pre-surgery eating schedule for infants and children is slightly different. Your surgeon or anesthesiologist will provide complete details.



	The information on this website should not be taken as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your personal health care professional.

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