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accountable for his feeling lousy when he wakes. Parents also tend to
have a hard time seeing their children under general anesthesia.
It's better to escort caregivers to the recovery room as soon as the
child is awake, usually about 15 to 20 minutes after surgery. That's
when their mere presence smoothens the process. Parents sound right
and smell right and hold their children right — something we simply
can't do. So we take advantage of those benefits, and have the caregivers talk with the child and help him eat ice chips to move him
toward discharge. Involving the caregivers in this way actually makes
the post-op process more efficient, rather than dragging it out.
