Pre and Post Operative Care
How do my child and I prepare for the procedure?
We encourage good communication between you and your child, including the necessity and overview of the procedure as well as ensuring them that you are close by the whole time. Holding them or their hands until they leave for the procedure is a great way to provide support.
You will be given specific instructions along the way but you may need to arrive a few hours before the scheduled procedure to have some blood tests done. When you arrive at the hospital, a doctor will review the procedure and associated risks, after which you will sign a consent form. When we are ready to get started with the procedure, a nurse will place an intravenous line to deliver sedating medications and you will be allowed to accompany your child in the operating room until they are asleep, after which you will be escorted to a waiting room.
When can my child bathe?
We will place a bandage over the site. If your child doesn’t have a drainage catheter, you must keep the bandage dry and in place for 48 hours. Then you may remove the clear bandage and the gauze and your child can shower or take a bath as usual.
If a catheter was placed, the clear bandage and gauze must remain dry and in place until the catheter is removed. In addition, the catheter will be secured with a locking device (StatLock®), which must not be removed. You may sponge-bathe your child, as long as you keep the site dry.
Are there any activity restrictions?
If a drainage catheter was inserted, your child will need to avoid activities that may result in a pull to the catheter. Children who don’t have a drainage catheter may resume normal activity within two or three days.
CONTACT CNMC IMMEDIATELY IF YOUR CHILD EXPERIENCES ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
• Redness, pain, swelling, or bruising at the needle insertion site.
• Fever higher than 101o Fahrenheit or 38o Celsius.
The department of Interventional Radiology can be reached at: 202-476-3791, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
At all other times please call 202-259-8643, which is the on-call pager. Follow the instructions and wait for a call back.