ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / December 13, 2000

LAPLACE – As adults we tend to look at surgery with great trepidation and caution. So you can imagine what goes through the mind of a child when heor she has to undergo a surgical procedure.

River Parishes Hospital has a lot of experience with children and surgery.

They do a lot of ear, nose and throat and orthopedic surgery on children, and they realize how important it is to calm a child’s fears and make them understand that everything will be OK.

“We don’t sunshine it all up,” said registered nurse Kay Keller, who is in charge of pre-admissions for surgery at the hospital. “That wouldn’t behonest. But we try to make them feel a little better about the procedure.”Before a child is admitted for surgery Keller and her staff bring the child and their parents into her office and explain the procedure. They get the child’smedical history and find out any allergies or other complications.

After that they bring in the anesthesiologist, who demonstrates how the gas mask works and what will happen.

“We tell them about the pain afterward,” said Keller. “We make sure they areproperly prepared. We give them coloring books and handouts that explainthings. If we have time we might even take them over to surgery.”For Keller, the biggest job though is calming the parents.

“Sometimes the parents are more scared than the kids,” said Keller. “Theycan get concerned, and we have to prepare them for certain things like their children may not recognize them when they come out of recovery.”She admitted though, “Sometimes there is no preparing the child.”In cases like that parents usually request the child not be told anything, and the hospital honors that request.

“Parents say that some kids do better if you don’t tell them anything,” said Keller. “Sometimes you have to consider the history and age of the child.”According to Keller, children in surgery pose a unique problem.

“Kids fight sleep,” said Keller, “and sometimes it may take awhile for them to go under.”Over in Surgical Services, nurse Diane Abbondante is in charge of getting the little patients ready for the operating room.

“We let the parents sit with the kids before surgery,” said Abbondante. “Theyget to stay with their kids right up to surgery.” Abbondante also makes sure the parents are there in recovery when the child wakes up.

The hospital staff uses other things to help the kids relax. They have atalking stuffed bear that is used to keep the child’s mind off the surgery.

While in surgery they put different scents in the gas mask like bubble-gum to make the child feel comfortable.

Leslie Stewart and her 7-year old daughter, Rashanda, are waiting for the doctors to come get them for some inner ear surgery. For Rashanda, this isher second time, and she seems very calm and composed.

Stewart, though smiling, does seem a bit nervous.

“They are very good with children,” said Stewart. “I don’t think she is scaredat all.”In recovery, Kelvin Fallon sits next to his sleeping daughter, holding a large red stuffed teddy bear. Shelby Fallon is 6 years old and just had her tonsilstaken out. Shelby wakes up and mutters a bit and starts to cry, then goesback to sleep.

“She was a bit nervous at first,” said Fallon, “but the staff took care of her and she was really happy going in. The staff has been really friendly andhelpful.”Over in Outpatient/Recovery, Tanya Harris is tending to her 2-year-old daughter, Kalyn, who just underwent foot surgery.

“She was ready,” said Harris. “She really didn’t like the shot, but now she isfeeling better.”Kalyn opens up her big blue eyes and hugs her doll. She looks around for asecond then falls back asleep.

In Recovery the nurses are all aware of the children’s state of mind. Therewill be pain and discomfort and they want to make the little patients feel as good as possible. The latest addition is combination TV/VCRs in therecovery rooms so the kids can watch their favorite videos brought from home.

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