Why my child?
No parent would like his/her child to be subjected to a surgical procedure. However 2% of the children are born with defects which could threaten the life of the child and which can get corrected surgically. It is important to recognize these defects well in time before the child suffers from irreparable damage to his body.
Is Surgery in children safe?
Surgery in children is fairly safe when:
- Done by specially trained surgeons and
- When performed in centres/ hospitals regularly performing such surgeries.
- The nursing staff, the anesthetist and the doctors who are going to handle babies for surgery should be adequately trained for the same.
- Important that the first surgery done for the child itself must be proper as repeat surgeries are painful, maybe harmful & likely to yield poorer results.
- Even key-hole surgery in small children is safe with proper precautions.
What is Pediatric Surgery & Who is a Pediatric Surgeon?
A pediatric surgeon is a specialised surgeon who is specially trained for surgery of children and newborns. Most pediatric Surgeons initially qualify and train to perform general (routine adult) surgery. This training ensures the all round training of the surgeon. After that they specialise for 2- 3 years in pediatric surgery. Subsequently, most pediatric surgeons prefer to avoid performing surgery in adults so as to concentrate on the specialised delicate skills of pediatric surgery.
How does Pediatric surgery differ from General surgery?
- Tissues in children are very delicate & special care is required to handle them.
- Delicate operations need to be performed under a microscope or special types of telescopic spectacles for magnification.
- In many conditions even the operative procedure has to be suitably modified to permit changes due to growth of the tissues.
- Conditions which require surgery for children are very different from those in adults There are many diseases, which are seen mainly in children. Pediatric surgeons are specifically trained for the surgery of these conditions.
- Instruments manufactured by a special design (atraugrip) are used when handling delicate tissues.
- The suturing material has to be much thinner and techniques have to account for the non co-operation of children after surgery.
- A sick, scared and anxious child requires special efforts to reduce the mental trauma of hospitalization and surgery. A pediatric surgeon is specifically trained for the special pre, intra and post-operative management of operated children. He plans the surgical procedure and anesthesia so as to reduce the stay in the hospital to the bare minimum.
Can these surgeries be performed under local anaesthesia?
Most surgeries in children, often even small and minor surgeries, are preferably done either under general anesthesia or deep sedation with local anesthesia. This is because Children are very scared in the operation theatre. General anaesthesia with pre-anaesthetic medication saves the child from any long-term bad memories of the surgery. Without adequate sedation, children are likely to cry and move violently during the operation, which can cause much more risk to the delicate tissues of the child.
Modern anaesthesia techniques have made general anaesthesia almost as safe in children as in adults. It is important that when children are given anaesthesia, they are monitored by anaesthetist who are specially trained for pediatric anaesthesia and adequate equipment and facilities are present for ensuring a high level of safety. A properly given anaesthesia in a healthy child is almost as safe as walking on the Bombay roads.
How will we keep our child in bed after surgery?
Most of the commonly performed operations in children will allow the child to move around in the house from the second or third day after surgery. Only if the operation is of a very major type, your child will require staying in bed for a longer time. As already mentioned earlier, modern techniques of surgery allow early movement.
Whom shall we ask further questions?
In case you have any questions about the Best Child Surgery In Lucknow
or the need to perform surgery in your child you are free to discuss the same with the doctor.
Why does my mediclaim insurance not cover all these surgical procedures?
Most mediclaim policies do cover surgical procedures in children. However, the standard mediclaim policies do not cover external birth defects (external congenital anomalies) besides certain other exclusions. The same could have been covered if the parents would have opted for an insurance policy which covers the unborn child (to be taken before birth).
