Heart CENTER
Diagnosed with
atrial septal defect
Allowing patients to select from 13 flavored anesthetic
gases is one fun way Texas Children’s Heart Center
prepares children for surgery. Jennifer chose banana.
“The
day before surgery, Jennifer was completely at ease, and
that’s what we wanted,” her mother Cheryl said. “We
couldn’t praise Texas Children’s enough.” It is the
thorough consultation with the anesthesiologist that
prepares and comforts the parents.
Before the surgery,
Jennifer’s parents met with Dr. Dean B. Andropoulos, the
medical director of pediatric cardiovascular
anesthesiology at Texas Children’s Heart Center. Dr. Andropoulos’ presence in the operating room throughout
Jennifer’s surgery was important to the Smiths.
After
surgery, Cheryl was comforted by Dr. Andropoulos in the
recovery room, where he explained how Jennifer’s pain
would decrease over the next few days. “When you’re a
mother, you’re very concerned about whether your child
will be in pain,” Cheryl said. “You want to know in detail
what to expect, and he did a very good job of explaining
that to us step by step.”
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