Department Name

To schedule an appointment, please call 352-392-3739.

THE DAY BEFORE SURGERY:

All patients must be "NPO" – no food or liquids, not even water – after 12:00 midnight on the evening prior to surgery except for infants under one year of age who should be awakened and offered Gatorade or Pedilayte between midnight and 2:00 a.m. so that they do not become dehydrated.

Please be sure to notify the Pediatric Surgery office immediately should your child develop a fever or cold or be exposed to a contagious disease such as chicken pox or measles. If it proves preferable to cancel or postpone surgery, it is very important that the time which has been reserved in the operating room for your child’s procedure be utilized by another. There are many children with serious conditions who are waiting in line and can benefit from this opportunity. In such circumstances, the telephone number to contact is (352) 392-3739.

THE DAY OF SURGERY:

On the day of surgery you must report to the ambulatory preoperative waiting area, next to Admissions, on the first floor of the Shands Children's Hospital.

You should arrive at 7:00 a.m. if your child is the first operation listed for that day and no later than 7:30 a.m. for all other cases. Even though your child’s operation may have been tentatively scheduled for a time later than 8:00 a.m., last minute changes are frequent because of unforeseen events such as the development of fevers or colds, with the consequence that earlier starts are often feasible for those patients who are immediately available.

You and your child will be escorted upstairs to the 2nd floor operating suite.

Once your child has been taken into the operating room, you should go to the surgical waiting area on the 6th floor of the Shands Children's Hospital where your surgeon can contact you by the telephone at the completion of the procedure. Look for the sign as you exit the inpatient elevators on the 6th floor.

Your prescription for take-home medication will be provided to you in the post-op holding area.

In the event of any difficulty, you should first attempt to reach your physician at (352) 392-3739, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. After hours, your call will be taken by a representative of the Shands Children's Hospital Message Center.

AFTER SURGERY:

The first postoperative appointment will be given during discharge. If you need to change the date and/or time of this appointment, please call 392–3739.