To help with a diagnosis, your child’s provider may order an imaging study like an x-ray or ultrasound. While some of these scans are quick and easy, others may prove more of a challenge for children because they require the patient to lie very still for up to 30 minutes.

These more challenging studies include:

• CT (computed tomography)
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
• VCUG (voiding cystourethrogram)

Most younger children needing a CT, MRI or VCUG scan may need to be sedated in order to get a successful, quality scan. If a child needs anesthesia for a study, pediatric nurses work to make this experience as stress-free as possible for both the children and their parents. These team members are specially trained to care for children during and after anesthesia.

The Pediatric Sedation Support Team supports your child by:

• Starting your child’s IV (intravenous) line. An IV line may be used to deliver medicine for anesthesia. It may also be used to deliver contrast medium (a substance used to increase the visibility of organs or tissues) used with some scans.
• Working to assist the anesthesiologist as needed.
• Providing bedside nursing care during post-anesthesia recovery. As soon as your child awakens, you may join him or her at the bedside until he or she is ready to go home.

Children requiring scans with anesthesia may be treated as inpatients (staying at the hospital) or outpatients (going home after the procedure). Parents may remain with their child until just before the start of the procedure and rejoin the child during recovery.