Pediatric Surgery

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When your child needs surgery, you want a trusted facility with expert providers. At Luminis Health, your child's care is in good hands.

Our skilled pediatric surgery team is made up of surgeons, pediatricians, anesthesiologists and nurses who provide outstanding, compassionate care to children from birth through age 18.

Your child receives personalized, age-appropriate care — before, during and after surgery.

Pediatrics Virtual Tour

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Preparing for Surgery

As the date of your child's surgery draws near, talk to your child about what to expect when you go to the hospital for their procedure. Your child's surgeon may share details with you, plus tips to help ease your child's concerns.

Be prepared to talk with your child about:

Anesthesia. Anesthesia ensures your child won't feel or notice anything during surgery. Thanks to anesthesia, your child won't wake up until we finish the procedure.
Intravenous (IV) therapy. IV therapy provides fluids and/or medication to children during procedures. Children under age 8 should receive sleeping gas for surgery, and they won't notice a nurse starting their IV. Those age 8 and older may have an IV placed in their arm before surgery.
Pain-reduction techniques. Pain-reduction techniques should help your child during surgical recovery. Your child may have used these in the past to cope with discomfort from a flu shot or dental procedure. Discuss options like deep breathing or squeezing someone's hand. Or talk with them about using their imagination to “go" elsewhere or listen to music or watch TV as a distraction.

One or two days before your child's scheduled surgery, you receive a phone call from the pediatric surgical team. The call provides helpful instructions tailored to your child's procedure, including when your child should stop eating and drinking before surgery.

You also get an automated call the afternoon before your child's surgery (2 pm or later) to confirm the time and location. (For Monday procedures, the automated call happens Friday after 2 pm.)

Find someone to care for your other children on the day of surgery. Two adults may accompany pediatric surgical patients, but children, including siblings, cannot be there.

Your child's doctor should let you know ahead of time whether your child is able to go home after the procedure or if they'll be staying in the hospital overnight. Our pediatric inpatient unit has private rooms with private bathrooms for each patient who stays with us.

During the pandemic, we are offering patients and their families a virtual tour of the hospital, to help children know what to expect on the day of surgery. Your child may feel more comfortable going for surgery in a place that looks more familiar.

You're required to be in the hospital the entire time that your child is in surgery. Plan to stay at the hospital for the day.

Before surgery, your child may meet with a child life specialist, who is a professional with a background in child development and psychology. Our child life specialists can help explain the procedure in an age-appropriate way and ease your child's worries while they're preparing for surgery.

You can stay with your child until the surgery is about to begin. During the procedure, we keep you up to date on your child's progress.

Once the procedure is over and your child is in recovery, you can rejoin your child. Nurses and a child life specialist may help your child adjust after surgery if they are disoriented or in pain.

You should know ahead of time whether you can take your child home from the hospital or whether they'll stay overnight.

If we discharge your child, we recommend two adults accompany your child home — someone to drive and someone to care for your child.

If your child is staying in the pediatric inpatient unit, you can stay with your child for the entire length of their stay.

Preparing for Surgery

The days leading up to your child's surgery

The day of your child's surgery

After your child's surgery