Pre-Operative Care and Testing (for babies who require neonatal surgery)
When your baby gets to the CTICU at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, he/she will have many tests. These tests include an echocardiogram and EKG. This gives the cardiologists and surgeons the best information about your baby’s heart. Once these tests are done, the healthcare team will talk about the plan for your baby at the Heart Center Case Management Conference. The doctors will review all of the information to make the best choices about surgical procedures and timing.
Depending on your baby's heart problem and the timing of surgery your baby may need an IV called a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). A PICC is an IV that can be kept in for a longer period of time. It is used to give medicines and a form of IV feeding called total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and draw blood for lab work.
Because the internal organs and the brain are developing at the same time as the heart, it is important to check your baby for any other health problems. A head ultrasound (HUS) will be done in the first days after birth to look for any concerns, such as bleeding or an abnormality in the brain. An ultrasound of the kidneys (renal ultrasound) will also be done to be sure the kidneys are healthy.
Conserving Blood
The Heart Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital has special techniques and processes to save (conserve) as much blood as possible during surgery and decrease the need for a blood transfusion.
These techniques include:
- Saving your child’s blood from surgery to use after surgery
- Using a shorter cardiopulmonary bypass circuit
- Using the smallest amount of blood needed for lab tests
- Increasing time between lab tests
- Discontinuing lab tests when possible