Parkville Anaesthesia has a dedicated group of highly trained and experienced paediatric anaesthetists skilled in caring for children. Many members of the team have trained both here at our own Royal Children’s Hospital and at other major children’s hospitals around the world. It’s reassuring to know, that most of our paediatric anaesthetists are parents as well and we are committed to providing the highest standard of care for your little one.

We understand any sort of medical intervention is often stressful not only for children but their loved ones too. We hope to support and guide you through the experience in a positive way.

Our specialist paediatric anaesthetists take the time to inform, educate and respond to your questions and concerns. We assess your child thoroughly and administer safe and effective anaesthetics. We assist your child to remain pain-free and comfortable during surgery or the procedure. We closely monitor and remain with your child at all times and our care continues into the recovery period.

All of our anaesthetists are happy to be contacted beforehand to discuss any questions or concerns you might have about your child’s upcoming anaesthetic.

Fasting is very important prior to anaesthesia to ensure the safety of your child. The guidelines have been revised in recent years to try to minimise the impact of fasting on children. It is very important that you follow the instructions carefully. If you get it wrong, your child’s surgery may have to be cancelled for their own safety.

It is generally accepted that children should not eat for 6 hours prior to their procedure but can drink CLEAR fluids up until 2 hours prior to it. In younger children, formula may be taken up until 4 hours prior to surgery and breast feeding can continue up until 3 hours prior. There are factors however that could require these guidelines to be altered. The greatest unknown is of course what time your surgery will be so please follow the instructions carefully. If you receive different fasting instructions from the hospital and surgeon’s rooms, you should clarify them with your anaesthetist.

There is no doubt that your child would prefer this. You should contact your hospital to confirm the arrangements.

This will depend your child, the type of surgery he/she has had, and the type of anaesthesia used. Your anaesthetist or surgeon will be able to help you with this important question.