Paediatrics - Your child's day case Foreign Body Removal

What happens on the day of surgery?

Ear, Nose and Throat surgery is carried out on our paediatric day case unit in the Walk In Walk Out (WIWO) Unit. This is a self- contained unit where admission, anaesthesia, surgery, recovery and discharge are carried out in the one area.

You will be asked to arrive on the unit at 07.30 am, where you will meet the nursing team who will be looking after you during your stay.

During the initial admission process, an identification band will be put on your child. Your child’s height, weight and other observations such as blood pressure, heart rate and temperature are also recorded. This is done to ensure they are fit and well for surgery to proceed. ‘Magic’ cream will be applied to the back of both hands and occasionally to the inner elbows. The cream stays in place with a clear dressing and numbs that area of skin.

Nursing staff will also complete all relevant admission documentation relating to your child’s stay.

Prior to your child going to surgery, you will also be seen by the anaesthetist, who will ask very similar questions to the ones already asked by the nursing team. You will be able to discuss with the anaesthetist the ways in which your child will be put to sleep, which is normally via an injection into your child’s vein or a gas which they breathe in via a facemask.

You will also be seen by a member of the surgical team who will ask you to sign consent for your child’s surgery to go ahead. (Please be aware that only adults with parental responsibility can sign consent for children undergoing surgery).
 
Please be aware that our surgical list comprises of 4 children/young people who will all arrive at 07.30 am to be admitted. As a guide we aim to start the theatre list at 09.00 am. The order in which the children/young people go to theatre is at the discretion of the anaesthetic and surgical teams.

We would advise that you bring things in from home to keep you both occupied whilst you wait. The operating procedure can take between 30-40 minutes including anaesthetic and recovery times which can differ patient to patient which we will advise you of on the day.

Foreign body removal from ear or nose

Your child may require an anaesthetic to remove a foreign object from the nose or ear if this has been unsuccessful during an ENT clinic or A&E visit. The procedure is a minor procedure where under sedation, surgeons remove the foreign body in the same way they would complete this if you were awake in clinic.
 

Foreign body removal aftercare

Your child may have some oozing from the nose or ear if the foreign body has been in place for a long while. This should naturally resolve itself without the need to clean or treat with medication.

Your child can return to school after 2 days to ensure the anaesthetic has worn off, which may take 24-48 hours.

If your child is in any pain, you can give your child paracetamol and ibuprofen as and when required following discharge. Prior to your child’s discharge the surgical practitioners will inform you when you can next have some more.

If you are worried about your child and need any advice please ring 0161 627 8866.