General Surgery

Lot’s of children’s surgery can be done as day case surgery where all being well there’s no need for an overnight stay. Sometimes surgery might mean staying in overnight or even a longer stay.

The General Paediatric Surgery and Urology Service offers minimally invasive surgery and is a world leader in Paediatric Robotic surgery in urological, general, hepatobiliary and colorectal procedures.

What we do

Leeds Children’s Hospital surgical department is one of the most sub-specialised units in the UK. We deliver care for a wide range of Paediatric Surgery specialties including Neonatal Upper GI, Thoracics, Oncology, Lower GI, Hepatobiliary Surgery (one of only three UK units), Urology and minimally invasive surgery.

We have our own equipment to perform Robotic surgery. We are a designated children’s Major Trauma Centre and work alongside colleagues in Liver and Renal Transplantation and in Paediatric Cardiac Surgery. Our regional neonatal unit serves a large population and our throughput across all age groups is large as we provide a regional and supraregional service for Yorkshire and Humber and beyond.

Neonatal surgery – surgery for premature babies and those born with birth defects such as oesophageal atresia, anorectal malformations and sacrococcygeal teratoma
Thoracic surgery – covering chest surgery (including airway surgery, oesophageal surgery, lung surgery, chest wall deformity surgery, tracheo-oesophageal surgery)
Abdominal surgery – including surgery for gastro-oesophageal reflux, inflammatory bowel disease, constipation, rectal prolapse surgery, as well as neonatal conditions such as diaphragmatic hernia repair, malrotation, intestinal atresia, Hirschsprung’s disease, anorectal malformations)
Oncology – covering cancer surgery (including Wilm’s tumours, Neuroblastoma surgery, sacrococcygeal tumour surgery), lymphatic and arterio-venous malformations
Hepatobiliary surgery – only one of three centres in the UK that performs biliary atresia surgery, choledochal cyst surgery, gallbladder surgery)
Urology (covering minor procedures such as circumcisions to more complex including hypospadias surgery, vesicoureteric reflux, pelvic ureteric obstruction surgery, renal stone surgery, bladder reconstruction surgery, ambiguous genitalia surgery)

Children’s Day Surgery

We offer a wide range of different day case surgeries at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Day case surgery means an operation or surgical procedure that does not involve an overnight stay. The patient is admitted on the day of surgery and usually goes home on the same day, a few hours after the procedure, once they have recovered sufficiently.

For day case surgery you could possibly be in for the whole day, this could be until 8pm at night.

The benefits of day case surgery include:

Shorter stays in hospital
Reduced risk of cancellation
Shorter waiting times
Care provided on a dedicated day case unit with expert staff

When preparing to come in for day case surgery, you should think about the following.

Pre-assessment

Pre-assessment is an appointment patients have in advance of their surgery to check that they are fit for the procedure including anaesthesia. This might include tests such as bloods, x-rays, ultrasound and height and weight. It’s also a chance for patients and parents to ask any questions they might have about the procedure. Sometimes pre-assessment appointments can be done virtually or over the phone if further tests aren’t required.

Fasting and instructions

If the patient is having an anaesthetic they will need to fast before their procedure. Fasting instructions will be sent out with the admission letter.

It is very important to follow these instructions. If your child has eaten within the fasting period, they will not be able to have their operation on the day and will be sent home. Any food in the stomach is dangerous under anaesthetic.

What to bring

Your admission letter – this might come in the post or via email
All medication/inhalers your child has at home and pain relief for after the operation. We do not routinely give pain killers for you to take home. Most families have Paracetamol (Calpol) and Ibuprofen (Nurofen) at home. Please bring yours with you and we will label it correctly to ensure your child has the appropriate pain relief
A change of clothes (nightwear), nappies if required, any comforters or favourite toys. We aim to get patients home on the same day but it’s worth being prepared for an overnight stay, just incase
If your child has a favourite food you are welcome bring this along for after surgery