Patient Education |
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A B D F G H I K L M N O P U W All Documents
Planning for the Hospital
Support
It is important that you are accompanied by a close friend or family member while receiving care at UCSF Medical Center. This is a stressful time and you will need someone you can depend on and trust. After fetal surgery you will be on bed rest to prevent preterm labor. You will need others to help you.
Betamethasone
This is a steroid, which is given to the mother in two intramuscular doses 12 to 24 hours apart. Its purpose is to accelerate lung maturity of the baby. It crosses the placenta to get to the baby. It may be given again as you get closer to the time of delivery if you deliver prior to 34 weeks gestation. It has beneficial effects on the baby, but will increase the sugar in your bloodstream and can make you a little more susceptible to infections.
Blood Transfusions
Although you will be undergoing major surgery, it is highly unlikely that you will need a blood transfusion. In California, a law requires physicians to inform patients undergoing surgery that they have a risk -- small as it may be -- of needing a blood transfusion. The patient is then entitled to obtain either designated donor blood from a source chosen by the patient or blood from a blood bank. Your doctor will discuss this further with you, but you must make arrangements for designated donor blood several days in advance of your procedure.
Hospital Admission
You will be expected to arrive at UCSF Medical Center before surgery for admission to the Perinatal Service on the 15th floor of the Long wing of the hospital. You will be instructed on what time to arrive and when you should stop eating food or drinking liquids. An obstetrical nurse will obtain a nursing history, perform a physical examination and assess your baby's heart rate using an electronic fetal monitor. You will wear a uterine monitor for a brief period the evening before and the morning of surgery. The purpose of fetal uterine monitoring is to detect any uterine contractions that may already be present and to determine the baby's usual heart-rate pattern.
Routine preoperative care will include:
- Collection of urine and blood samples
- Type and cross matching for blood in case of a blood transfusion
- IV infusion to provide water and electrolytes
- Taking sleeping medication
- Signing a surgical consent
- Wearing TEDS (thick elastic stockings)
- Taking Alkagold, a medication that decreases stomach acids
The Fetal Treatment Center at UCSF Children's Hospital is a world leader in diagnosing and treating birth defects, using advanced therapies including fetal surgery.
More Information:
Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated May 8, 2007
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care provider. We encourage you to discuss with your doctor any questions or concerns you may have.
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