How does my child prepare for a Nuclear Medicine Scan?
Preparation for a Nuclear Medicine Scan depends on what type of scan your child is having and what age your child is. Some scans require fasting for the imaging and some scans require fasting for sedation to be given to help keep your child still. If your child requires an injection, then a topical anaesthetic cream (AnGel or Emla) can be applied to hands or arms at the preferred/best site for blood tests. This will make the injection site numb so they do not feel the sharp prick of the injection. The cream usually takes about 45 minutes to work so you will be required to attend the department 1 hour earlier than your appointment. A lot of these decisions will be made at the time of booking or prior to the beginning of the scan. Sedation for Studies is decided at the time of the study and what is required will be discussed with you by the nurse or doctor at the time of your appointment. Rules for sedation: • Patient must be between 4 months and 3 years of age; • Patient is unable to re
