If your child needs elective surgery (a procedure that’s planned in advance rather than one that's done in an emergency) our same-day Pediatric Outpatient Surgery (POPS) program offers convenient, efficient, and caring care at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (AIDHC) before, during, and after your child’s procedure. And our specialty clinics bring that same great service – and the same skilled, caring surgeons – from AIDHC to other convenient locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Our surgeons in Florida provide that same Nemours quality care as well.
We treat any outpatient surgical problem, including those related to:
- ears, nose, and throat (or ENT), such as tonsillectomies/adenoidectomies (removing the tonsils or adenoids), bilateral myringotomy or BMT (when ear tubes are inserted in both ears)
- male and female urinary tracts, and the male reproductive system (urology), such as hernia or undescended testis
- teeth (dental), such as tooth extraction or complex dental work
- eyes (), such as surgery for blocked tear ducts or eye muscle surgery to treat strabismus (crossed eyes)
- bones, and joints (orthopedic), such as surgical treatment of fractures or arthroscopy (inspecting a joint through a scope)
- plastic surgery, such as ear tag removal or wound repair
What to Expect
At Nemours we know that even though an outpatient procedure means your child should be able to come home with you that day, that doesn’t mean you’re not still concerned or worried about what’s to come. We understand that, when it comes to your child, any operation can be stressful, for both your child and your whole family. That’s why we’ll make sure your child gets top-quality care – and that the experience is as comfortable and stress-free as possible.
To ease your mind a little and help you understand what to expect, here’s an overview of what will happen in an outpatient surgery:
Before
- To make the day of surgery easier, we’ll conduct a pre-surgical health assessment and teaching session up to one week before your child’s scheduled surgery. At this point, you can fill out all of the paperwork and ask a nurse practitioner any questions. If your child is young, he or she will participate in a special “play therapy” session to help ease any anxiety your little one may be feeling about the upcoming procedure.
- You’ll receive a reminder call from our staff the day before surgery.
During
- On the day of surgery, you’ll meet the anesthesiologist who will be providing anesthesia to help your child sleep or relax and not feel any pain during the procedure.
- You may stay with your child throughout the hospital visit, except during the procedure itself.
- A special team member called a “surgical nurse liaison” will be available to answer any questions and keep you informed of how the surgery is going, from start to finish.
After
- Your child's surgeon will speak with you when the surgery is complete and you’ll be reunited with your child in the ”wake-up” (or recovery) room. There, our pediatric nurses will go over all of the details of taking care of your child at home, from medications to follow-up appointments.
- We’ll also call the day after surgery to make sure that your child is doing OK and to address any questions or concerns.