What to expect the day of surgery

Often, visiting the facility ahead of your procedure can reduce anxiety for you and your child. To schedule your personalized pre-procedure hospital tour today, or to get answers about common questions regarding a pediatric hospitalization, call our child life specialists at (720) 754-7717.

Questions to ask

• Ask that any sedatives (sleep medicines) be given at the hospital and not at home before coming to the hospital.
• Talk to the surgeon and others who will operate on your child.
  • Ask how much experience they have performing the operation.
  • It is important that you are confident in the ability of the people who will operate on your child.

Questions to ask

• Talk to the surgeon about the part of your child’s body that will be operated on.
  • Ask the surgeon to mark the part to be operated on while you are in the room. This will make sure it is the correct part.
  • Make sure the surgeon marks only the correct part and nowhere else. Ask if you can stay with your child until the sedatives begin working and your child falls asleep.

Videos to watch

This video explains the process of arriving for surgery at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. Learn about convenient parking or complimentary valet, our friendly admissions concierge and our comfortable waiting area.

For children 12 years and younger: This video walks you through what happens when your child is taken back to the pre-operative area. It covers the process of taking vitals, meeting a welcoming child life specialist and even driving a kid-sized Jeep back to the surgical area.

For children 12 years and older: This video follows your child into the pre-operative area. Here, the you will meet the doctors involved in the procedure and the your child will receive an IV for anesthesia. A child life specialist is on hand to help make the experience as comfortable and painless as possible.

The operating room, recovery and discharge: This video gives you a tour of our operating room (OR) and the process for recovery and discharge. In addition to being the most technologically advanced pediatric OR in the world with state-of-the-art equipment, our OR is designed to keeping your child feeling safe and comfortable. While being prepared for surgery, your child can watch a movie to help keep relaxed.

Questions to ask

• Ask if pediatric specialists will be caring for your child in the recovery area.
• Do all that you can to make sure your child is safe after leaving the hospital
  • Ask about the care your child will need at home.
  • Get written instructions.
  • Get the names and phone numbers of people to call if you have questions or in case of an emergency.

• Preparing your infant for surgery
• Preparing your adolescent or teen for surgery
• Preparing a child for their sibling's surgery