welcome to tch pediatric radiology
Dear parents and families,
Welcome to the Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatric Radiology! It is our goal to provide safe and efficient care for your child to get the studies that they need. We consider it a privilege to take care of your child. Here is a picture of some of our smiling team members who are here to serve you and your child.
Welcome to the Texas Children’s Hospital Department of Pediatric Radiology! It is our goal to provide safe and efficient care for your child to get the studies that they need. We consider it a privilege to take care of your child. Here is a picture of some of our smiling team members who are here to serve you and your child.
Our team includes admission counselors, anesthesia professionals, nurses, patient care assistants, radiologists, and radiology technologists. It has been determined that your child will need sedation or anesthesia to hold still for the studies. In order to ensure that your child and others can be cared for in a timely manner we ask that you adhere to the following instructions. More details are shown below in the section labeled frequently asked questions.
Patient Responsibilities
1. Arrive 90 minutes before scan time
2. Follow NPO instructions
3. Call us at 832-824-5301 if you are running late.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have an appointment for 8:00 a.m., what does that mean?
When your child has an appointment at 8:00 a.m., that means your child is scheduled to go to sleep at 8:00 a.m. for their exam.
Why am I asked to show up 90 minutes early?
You have been asked to show up 90 minutes early to complete 8 important steps that help us care for your child safely. (1) Parking (2) Insurance verification (3) Patient identification badge (4) Vital sign assessment (5) Nurse assessment (6) Pre-anesthesia assessment (7) Possible start of intravenous line and finally (8) Administration of the medication to go to sleep. This process is similar to arriving early for airplane flights. We want your child’s sedation to be just as safe as riding an airplane. These 8 steps are depicted below.
Patient Responsibilities
1. Arrive 90 minutes before scan time
2. Follow NPO instructions
3. Call us at 832-824-5301 if you are running late.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have an appointment for 8:00 a.m., what does that mean?
When your child has an appointment at 8:00 a.m., that means your child is scheduled to go to sleep at 8:00 a.m. for their exam.
Why am I asked to show up 90 minutes early?
You have been asked to show up 90 minutes early to complete 8 important steps that help us care for your child safely. (1) Parking (2) Insurance verification (3) Patient identification badge (4) Vital sign assessment (5) Nurse assessment (6) Pre-anesthesia assessment (7) Possible start of intravenous line and finally (8) Administration of the medication to go to sleep. This process is similar to arriving early for airplane flights. We want your child’s sedation to be just as safe as riding an airplane. These 8 steps are depicted below.
What should I do if I am running late?
If you are running late please pull over if driving and call us at 832-824-5301. Let us know how late you are running and please drive safely.
Will there be any delays if I am running late?
We will make every effort to accommodate your child without making the families that do show up on time wait. If you are late, your child may be rescheduled later in the day and in some occasions may need to be rescheduled on another day. We apologize for the inconvenience but we don’t want others to be delayed because someone else came in late.
Why can’t I feed my child?
Children may vomit under anesthesia if they have food or liquid in their stomach. This can lead to the vomit going into the lungs and causing a life-threatening pneumonia. Follow the instructions provided by the nurse who calls you the day before.
How long does my child need to not eat or drink?
In order for your child’s stomach to be empty, we must wait:
a. 2 hours for clear liquids
b. 4 hours for breast milk
c. 6 hours for non-human milk or a light meal
d. 8 hours for a heavy or fatty meal (especially fried foods, meats, and cheeses)
What if I think my child can do it without sedation or anesthesia?
Please note, your child must hold perfectly still for 45 – 90 minutes to complete an MRI without sedation. One way to check at home if your child can do it is to get a stopwatch and lay your child on a bed. If s/he can hold still (freeze like a statue) for 30 minutes, they will likely not need sedation or anesthesia. If your child moves or wiggles even a little during those 30 minutes, they likely cannot do it without sedation. If you think your child can complete it without, it should not be scheduled with sedation or anesthesia. If you want your child to try without anesthesia and are scheduled for anesthesia, your child may be delayed until the end of the day.
Where should I park?
We empathize with the expense of parking in the Texas Medical Center. The parking garages are not owned by Texas Children’s Hospital and we cannot control pricing. We recommend the use of Texas Children’s Hospital valet services. Using valet can make your experience less stressful, lead to less walking, and the helpful valet drivers can direct you to the information desk and point you in the direction of the location of your child’s study. If you do not choose to use our valet services, we recommend that you use Texas Medical Center entrance 11 and park in garage 12. Look for these signs below:
If you are running late please pull over if driving and call us at 832-824-5301. Let us know how late you are running and please drive safely.
Will there be any delays if I am running late?
We will make every effort to accommodate your child without making the families that do show up on time wait. If you are late, your child may be rescheduled later in the day and in some occasions may need to be rescheduled on another day. We apologize for the inconvenience but we don’t want others to be delayed because someone else came in late.
Why can’t I feed my child?
Children may vomit under anesthesia if they have food or liquid in their stomach. This can lead to the vomit going into the lungs and causing a life-threatening pneumonia. Follow the instructions provided by the nurse who calls you the day before.
How long does my child need to not eat or drink?
In order for your child’s stomach to be empty, we must wait:
a. 2 hours for clear liquids
b. 4 hours for breast milk
c. 6 hours for non-human milk or a light meal
d. 8 hours for a heavy or fatty meal (especially fried foods, meats, and cheeses)
What if I think my child can do it without sedation or anesthesia?
Please note, your child must hold perfectly still for 45 – 90 minutes to complete an MRI without sedation. One way to check at home if your child can do it is to get a stopwatch and lay your child on a bed. If s/he can hold still (freeze like a statue) for 30 minutes, they will likely not need sedation or anesthesia. If your child moves or wiggles even a little during those 30 minutes, they likely cannot do it without sedation. If you think your child can complete it without, it should not be scheduled with sedation or anesthesia. If you want your child to try without anesthesia and are scheduled for anesthesia, your child may be delayed until the end of the day.
Where should I park?
We empathize with the expense of parking in the Texas Medical Center. The parking garages are not owned by Texas Children’s Hospital and we cannot control pricing. We recommend the use of Texas Children’s Hospital valet services. Using valet can make your experience less stressful, lead to less walking, and the helpful valet drivers can direct you to the information desk and point you in the direction of the location of your child’s study. If you do not choose to use our valet services, we recommend that you use Texas Medical Center entrance 11 and park in garage 12. Look for these signs below:
Thanks again for choosing the Texas Children’s Hospital Departments of Anesthesiology and Radiology to care for your child. We are looking forward to serving you.