(lively music)
- [Narrator] Welcome to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
We are honored that you've chosen our team
to care for your family.
This video was created to help you prepare
for your child's cleft palate repair surgery.
We encourage you to read through
your Cranial Facial Patient Handbook
and take advantage of your pre-surgical clinic appointments
to ask lots of questions
so you can be prepared and comfortable
knowing what to expect before your child's surgery.
On the day of surgery,
you will check in on the 4th floor
of Mott Children's Hospital
at the Surgical Check-in Desk
also known as the Frog Desk.
Next, you and your child will be taken back
to our pre-op care area.
Once you're settled in,
you will meet with members of both the surgical
and anesthesia teams.
Often times, the anesthesia team
will give your child some medicine,
either by mouth or nose to help them feel sleepy
and less anxious.
Of course this may not be necessary
if your child is feeling calm and relaxed.
Once in the Operating Room,
an anesthesia team member will give your child medicine
through a breathing mask.
Your child will fall asleep soon after breathing
the anesthesia gases through the mask.
While your child is in surgery,
you will be given a pager or phone from the pre-op area
so that you can easily be contacted
during or after surgery has been completed.
While waiting on Level Two in the Surgical Waiting Area,
you will also have access to our cafeteria,
family center and gift shop.
Once surgery has been completed,
the anesthesiologist will begin waking up your child.
Your child will be moved back
to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit,
otherwise known as the PACU,
where nurses will monitor your child closely,
watching their breathing, airway and blood pressure levels
as they continue to wake up.
Once it is determined medically safe,
you will be paged or called to be reunited with your child
in the PACU.
There are a few things you may notice right away.
Your child may have swollen lips
and there may be bloody drainage
from their nose and mouth.
This is very normal and expected for this type of surgery.
You will also notice that your child will have
a nasal trumpet placed in their nose.
This small, plastic tube is stitched in place
to help protect your child's airway
while they recover.
Another thing the surgeon's do
to protect your child during recovery
is use a small thread or suture
to keep the tongue from blocking their airway.
The thread will be taped to your child's chin
so you may notice that as well.
These safeguards make sure that your child
has a clear airway
should there be additional swelling of the throat
or tongue after surgery.
The nasal trumpet and suture are typically removed
that evening or the next morning.
Your child may also be wearing No-No's
or elbow restraints after surgery.
This prevent your child from sucking their thumb
or putting their fingers or anything hard
into their mouth.
It takes approximately three weeks
for the palate repair to heal.
Therefore, while at the hospital
or at home after surgery,
your child may need to continue to wear their No-No's
especially if they have a finger sucking habit.
Initially, your child will receive pain medication
through their IV.
Once your child can tolerate liquids by mouth,
they will be switched to oral pain medication.
While Tylenol alone is sufficient to manage pain
for most children,
other pain medications may be recommended
or prescribed by your physician if needed.
You and your child may stay in the PACU
for several hours.
When your child is very stable
and their in-patient room is ready,
your family will be transferred to a private patient room
where you, your PACU nurse and your in-patient nurse
will exchange information about the surgery and care needed.
Once your child is in their hospital room
and ready to drink fluids,
care must be taken to keep the newly repaired palate
free from harm.
Often, fluid is given at first through a syringe
with a small, red tube connected to it
called a Red Robinson.
The red tube should be placed in the side
of your child's mouth.
Once your child is tolerating fluids,
they may drink out of a cup without a sippy spout.
They may also have pureed foods from a spoon.
Be sure to feed your child yourself,
only letting the spoon go just past the lips
and not deep into the mouth.
Most children are ready for discharge from the hospital
after one or two nights.
Once pain is under control
and they are breathing easily and taking liquids well.
You will most likely need to return
to your child's surgeon
within one to two weeks after surgery
to make sure that the palate is healing properly.
We hope this video has helped you feel more comfortable
about what to expect from your child's
cleft palate reconstruction surgery.
If you have any questions at any time,
before, during or after your stay with us,
please let any member of your Care Team know
and we will be happy to help you.
(light music)