Our department has 23 consultants in anaesthetics and we also provide an acute and chronic pain service along with three specialist nurses. The first discussion you might have about anaesthetics could be with our pre-operative assessment team.
In a normal year, we provide anaesthetics for over 16,000 procedures including emergencies & planned cases from all of the services in RHC Glasgow. Even if you aren't actually coming to hospital for an operation there is still a good chance we will meet you.
If you have questions or need to contact us before you come into hospital for your procedure:
Modern anaesthetics are very safe. There are some common side effects which are usually not serious or long lasting. Risk will vary between individuals, and will depend on the procedure and the anaesthetic technique used. Your anaesthetist will discuss with you the risks they believe to be most significant. You should also discuss with them anything you feel is important to you.
The Royal College of Anaesthetists have created this infographic which shows some of the common events and risks that healthy children and young people of normal weight face when having a general anaesthetic (GA) for routine surgery (specialist operations may carry different risks).
More information: Royal College of Anaesthetists - Information for children, parents and carers.
What happens during a General Anaesthetic?
This video from What? Why? Children In Hospital shows children having a general anaesthetic before their operation. The anaesthetist explains what will happen, how they make sure you are asleep during your operation and how quickly you will wake up again. Rory tells us how it felt to have a general anaesthetic.
Play to prepare children for a General Anaesthetic
When your child needs to have a general anaesthetic before their operation it can be helpful to prepare them through pretend play. This video from What? Why? Children In Hospital shows how you could play with your child the day or morning before you go to hospital. By using yoghurt pots, pretend sleepy gas and sleepy medicine they prepare Lily the giraffe and Lewis the lion for their operations.
This video with pretend hospital play is aimed at younger children and those at an early stage of development.
We are one of the leading paediatric care centres in the UK, and the largest in Scotland. We provide family centred care to newborns, infants, children and young people both in hospital and in the community.
https://www.glasgowchildrenshospitalcharity.org/
Royal Hospital for Children for Patients, Carers & Visitors