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Surgery FAQ's
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- What can surgery do for clefting of lips and palates?
- What is the surgery for cleft lip and when does
it happen?
- What is the surgery for cleft palate and when does
it happen?
- Will my child require additional surgery at a later
time in his or her life?
- What tests are required before surgery?
- Where does the patient go for surgery?
- What time is the surgery usually performed?
- Can the patient eat or drink before surgery?
- If the patient is on regular medication, should
he/she take it before surgery?
- Can I go with my child to the Operating Room?
- Where does the family wait while the operation
is being performed?
- Can I go into the Recovery Room with my child?
- If my child is spending the night, may I stay
in the room with him/her?
- Can my child bring a favorite stuffed animal,
toy or blanket?
- What clothes will the patient need in the hospital?
- Following cleft lip surgery, what is the typical
recovery process parents might anticipate?
- Following cleft palate surgery, what is the typical
recovery process parents might anticipate?
- Following cleft palate surgery, what
is the typical recovery process parents might anticipate?
The goal of surgery is to close the cleft lip and/or palate. This
helps restore normal eating and drinking and enhances the development
of normal speech. Surgery can also restore normal appearance to
the upper lip.
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- What is the surgery for cleft lip and
when does it happen?
Many children benefit from molding devices, which can be used
to lessen or decrease the size of the cleft lip or palate. Other
children benefit from a procedure called a cleft lip adhesion,
which is performed at two to three months of age. This is an interim
lip repair that brings the lip gently together to help decrease
the size of the cleft. Two or three months later we perform the
final lip repair. We do these surgeries in two stages to minimize
scarring and help reduce the risk of the lip breaking open.
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- What is the surgery for cleft palate
and when does it happen?
Surgery for cleft palate occurs between nine and twelve months
of age. The goal of the surgery is to realign the muscles that
are needed for speech and to close the hole in the roof of the
mouth.
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- Will my child require additional surgery
at a later time in his or her life?
Some children with cleft lips may need additional surgeries as
they grow. Each child's developmental situation is different so
we approach treatment on an individual basis. Sometimes, as children
age, scars may thicken and a revision may be necessary. As the
child's nose grows, further nasal surgery may be needed.
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- What tests are required before surgery?
All patients require a history and physical completed by a physician.
Patients 12 years old and older must have some blood work done.
Usually younger patients don’t require blood work. We will
review this and other important medical issues when we schedule
the surgery.
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- Where does the patient go for surgery?
For outpatient surgery not requiring a stay in the hospital, surgery
is usually performed in the Outpatient Center at 601 North Caroline
Street. Inpatient surgery when the patient does spend the night
is performed at the John Hopkins Hospital at 600 North Wolfe Street.
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- What time is the surgery usually performed?
Surgery times vary. Patients must arrive two hours before their
surgery time. We give the exact time for surgery and arrival when
we schedule the surgery.
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- Can the patient eat or drink before
surgery?
There are very important rules about what a patient can eat or
drink before surgery. We include these in the packet of information
we send when the surgery is scheduled. Generally, adults don’t
eat or drink anything after midnight the night before surgery.
It is different for infants or children. It is very important
that you follow these rules because food and drink before anesthesia
may cause problems such as choking or vomiting. If you don’t
follow the rules, the surgery will have to be rescheduled.
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- If the patient is on regular medication,
should he/she take it before surgery?
This will be discussed with your physician before surgery.
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- Can I go with my child to the Operating
Room?
One adult may accompany the child into the Operating Room and
stay with him/her until the patient is under anesthesia.
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- Where does the family wait while the
operation is being performed?
There is a Waiting Room close to the Operating Room for families.
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- Can I go into the Recovery Room with
my child?
Parents may sit with a child in the Recovery Room.
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- If my child is spending the
night, may I stay in the room with him/her?
One adult may stay with the child overnight. The hospital
room has a chair that unfolds into a bed.
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- Can my child bring a favorite
stuffed animal, toy or blanket?
Yes! We want the child to be as comfortable as possible.
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- What clothes will the patient need
in the hospital?
Patients are provided with gowns to wear in the hospital. It’s
fine to bring the child’s own pajamas too. Remember that
the patient may have an IV so pajamas that open at the shoulder
may work the best.
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- Following cleft lip surgery,
what is the typical recovery process parents might anticipate?
We perform some cleft lip repairs as outpatient procedures
but some children may be required to spend a night in the hospital.
In these cases, children are usually discharged to go home the
morning following surgery. They can go back to feeding by their
usual method. See our Cleft Lip Discharge
Instructions.
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- Following cleft palate surgery,
what is the typical recovery process parents might anticipate?
Cleft palate patients usually spend one or two nights
in the hospital. Typically, they are able to feed as soon as they
wake up from surgery. When the child is feeling well and feeding
without difficulty, he or she may return home. See our
Discharge Instructions for Cleft Palate Repair.
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