What to Expect

Before Your Surgery or Test

• If your child needs anesthesia before a test, surgery or other procedure, your child’s healthcare team will tell you in advance how to prepare. For example, your child will need to stop eating and drinking at certain times on the day before or the day of their procedure. We will give you these details.
• Our Pre-Anesthesia Surgical Service (PASS) team may contact you to set up a visit before the day of your child’s procedure. We may meet with you in person or by telephone or video visit. A nurse practitioner will ask questions about your child’s health history and do a physical exam (if the visit is in person). The nurse practitioner also will talk with you about what to expect. Learn more about the Pre-Anesthesia Surgical Service.
• For information on visiting Seattle Children’s clinics, please see Preparing for Your Child’s Clinic Visit.
• Learn about types of anesthesia on our Anesthesiology Resources page.

If your child is having surgery or another procedure at Seattle Children’s, please see Preparing for Your Child’s Surgery or Procedure. Read the social story What to Expect on Your Surgery Day (PDF) with your child.

On the Day of Your Surgery or Test

Your anesthesiologist will meet with you before the surgery or test to review your child’s medical history, do a physical exam and discuss your child’s anesthesia plan.

Watch in Spanish: La anestesia y el procedimiento

Pain Control After Surgery

• Managing pain after surgery is important for your child’s rest, movement and overall healing.
• There are many different ways to help manage pain after surgery. The options vary depending on whether your child recovers from surgery at home or in the hospital.
• In the hospital, options include pain medicine into a vein (intravenous), as well as all types of regional anesthesia.
• If your child is going home soon after surgery, your surgeon may prescribe pain medications. Some children also have a type of regional anesthesia called a peripheral nerve catheter or PNC (PDF) (Arabic) (Spanish) for 1 to 3 days after surgery.
• Learn about going home with a medicine pump and how to care for it.