Beacon for Kids: Surgical Services

Your child should not attend the hospital for a planned operation for a period of 4 weeks following the BCG or MMR vaccination. For all other vaccinations, your child should not attend for a planned operation for one week after she / he has been vaccinated.

If your child has had an infectious illness or has been in contact with an infectious illness (eg chicken pox, measles, mumps) in the four weeks before a planned operation, it is safer for your child not to attend the hospital.

If you have any concerns, please contact the staff in the Surgical Day Unit.

Ahead of your child’s scheduled operation, you should discuss their visit to hospital and what will happen. Answering questions openly and honestly according to your child’s age will help to alleviate any fears or anxiety they may have.

Role playing the hospital scenario using your child’s favourite toy is a very effective method of preparation.

You can download Beacon Hospital’s children’s book ‘Lily’s Adventure in Beacon Hospital‘ prior to your visit.  This book is a useful tool for preparing your child for their surgery.

• Nappies / Nappy bags if required
• Baby Wipes
• Barrier Cream
• Soother / Comforter
• Loose Clothing ie Tracksuit
• Bottles / Beakers
• Towel for Journey Home
• A Change of Clothes

• Please arrive to the main Hospital Reception at the time given to you by the scheduling department. Please do not be late, theatre schedules run on a very strict time table and arriving late may result in the postponement of your surgery. Please try not to be too early as your child will have to wait for their time slot.
• No siblings are allowed into the Day Unit under any circumstances.
• Please ensure a responsible parent/guardian will be with your child for the 24 hours after their surgery.
• Due to space and safety restrictions, only one parent/guardian may accompany a child to and from theatre. Any other accompanying adults may wait in the coffee shops adjacent to the hospital, or across the road in Beacon South Quarter.
• Please ensure that any nail varnish is removed from your child’s finger nails or toe nails before coming in.

• Your child will remain in the Surgical Day Unit until they are fully recovered from the anaesthetic. This length of time varies for each child.
• Please follow strictly any special instructions regarding dressings or suture removal given to you by the nurse on discharge.
• Your child may return to normal activity as soon as they feel able to, or as per their Consultant’s instructions.

Grommet Insertion

One of the most common paediatric procedures in Ireland, Grommet Insertion involves a small plastic tube being inserted into a tiny slit in the child’s eardrum. This tube acts as a pressure-equaliser and a temporary extra tube to allow infection-causing fluid and bacteria to flow out from the middle ear.

Grommets may be placed in one, or both ears. This will depend on clinical indicators. In 99% of cases, parents will notice an immediate and dramatic improvement in their child’s hearing.

Grommets are temporary and will usually fall out by themselves within 18 months.

Adenoidectomy

Adenoidectomy is the surgical removal of the adenoids. These are a mass of lymphoid tissue at the back of the nasal passage which can sometimes be prone to repeated infection such as throat, sinus or ear infections or breathing issues.

This routine procedure is most common in paediatric patients and is carried out as a day case under a general anaesthetic.

Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy is one of the most commonly performed ENT procedures, especially in paediatric patients. This procedure is carried out under a general anaesthetic, meaning the patient is asleep for the duration.

The palatine tonsils are the tonsils located at the back of the throat. In some people, these repeatedly get infections or cause obstructive sleep apnoea.

Recovery time is 14 days post procedure.

Otoplasty (Ear Surgery)

Otoplasty is surgery for correction of over-prominent ears.

Circumcision

Circumcision is the removal of the end portion of skin, known as the foreskin, that covers the head of the penis. This procedure is performed under general anaesthetic. It is a day case procedure.

Hernia Repair

A hernia is a ‘bulge’ which develops as a result of weakness in the abdominal wall. There are 4 main types of hernia: Inguinal (groin area), Femoral (top of thigh), Epigastric (upper abdomen anywhere between breastbone and navel) and Umbilical (at or beside the navel).

Orchidopexy (Undescended Testes)

An orchidopexy is an operation to lower the testicles into the scrotum. Your child may need to have this operation on one or both testicles.

Hypospadias Repair

Hypospadias is a condition affecting the opening of the penis (meatus) that is present at birth. Sometimes the meatus is not at the tip of the penis and instead is lower on the head, on the shaft, or in rarer cases on the scrotum or perineum. In some cases, a child with hypospadias may be missing some of their foreskin or have a curved penis known as a chordee.

Our Dental Surgeons most commonly perform paediatric multiple or complex extraction surgeries where you child may have been referred by their regular dentist. These surgeries are performed as a day case under a general anaesthetic.