Pediatric Pre-Anesthesia Assessment (formally Preoperative Assessment)

Preparing children for surgery or procedures with anesthesia

The Children's Health℠ Pre-Anesthesia assessment program is the oldest pediatric day surgery program in the country. We help ensure that children who need surgery or imaging receive the assistance of anesthesia, which guarantees these procedures can be performed as safely as possible.

Pediatric Pre-Anesthesia assessment is when your child is examined , in preparation for surgery, imaging or other procedures that require anesthesia.

The Pre-Anesthesia program (sometimes referred to as the preoperative/pre-op program) at Children's Health offers customized assessments for each patient. This ensures the team can meet your child’s specific needs before, during and after a procedure with anesthesia.

What to expect

Our nurses and advanced practice providers have deep experience caring for patients with all types of conditions, from the most straightforward to the most complex. Our team of experts, including Child Life services, will help ease your child's fears and help you prepare your child for their surgery or procedure with anesthesia. This helps to ensure the best possible experience for you and your child.

Our team understands that this process can seem scary. We are here to listen to your concerns and answer all your questions. The safety and comfort of your child is our top priority.

Pre-Anesthesia assessment

Your child’s Pre-Anesthesia appointment will always include a physical examination and a discussion of their medical history. Knowing your child’s complete medical history is important for their care during and after a procedure with anesthesia. This helps us make a plan of care that minimizes anesthesia risks but maximizes your child’s comfort during their procedure.

Depending on your child’s needs and medical condition, their assessment may be scheduled for the same day as their surgery or procedure with anesthesia or several days before. If your child sees a cardiologist, pulmonologist, neurologist, endocrinologist or another specialist, it is important to let us know. Please bring a list of the specialists and their contact information if it is outside the Children’s Health network. Your surgeon may order additional testing or evaluation prior to the procedure.

Whether your child is scheduled for a Pre-Anesthesia clinic appointment or seen the same day, a nurse practitioner or physician assistant will examine your child. At that time, you will talk about your child's medical history to ensure they are healthy and ready for surgery or a procedure with anesthesia. Children who are seen in our clinic, depending on the child’s medical needs or complexity, can expect the appointment to range from 30 minutes to several hours.

If our team has new medical findings during the Pre-Anesthesia assessment, this may involve seeing a specialist before or after your procedure to ensure your child is healthy and prepared for anesthesia.

What to expect before your child’s surgery or procedure with anesthesia

Two to three days before surgery or procedure with anesthesia, a team member from Children’s Health will call you with additional details about your child’s surgery or procedure with anesthesia. This will include:

1. Arrival time

2. Specific instructions about what your child may eat or drink before their procedure

3. Specific instructions about what medications your child may take or not take before their procedure

4. A reminder to bring all your child’s medications (prescription and over the counter) with you to the appointment. Original bottles with dosages and times will help provide up-to-date information to the medical staff. Please bring a list of your child’s doctors or providers.

If you have not received a call from our staff 24 hours before your child’s surgery, please call our team between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

1. For Dallas, please call 214-456-2250

2. For Plano, please call 469-303-8051

Other considerations

If your child has various complex medical needs, takes medications or is having a complicated procedure, your surgeon may have them take some testing beforehand. Types of tests may include:

1. Blood tests: Complete blood count or blood type, thyroid labs

2. Heart tests: ECHO, EKG

3. Lung tests. Pulmonary function tests (PFT)

4. Imaging: X-rays, computed tomography scans (CT scans) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

If you have questions about what tests will be done, please contact your surgical team.