What happens during my childs open reduction and internal fixation surgery?
• Your child will be given medicine called general anesthesia or local anesthesia. General anesthesia makes your child sleep during his surgery. Local anesthesia numbs the surgery area. Your child also may get monitored anesthesia, which will make him feel sleepy. Caregivers clean your child’s arm and then make an incision (cut) in the skin over the broken bone. A tool is used to spread the arm muscles so that caregivers can see the broken bone. Damaged tissue or bone that cannot be fixed may be removed from your child’s arm. • Your child’s caregiver will move the arm bone into the correct place. Hardware (such as a metal plate) is used to hold the pieces of your child’s bone together. The plate may be held to your child’s bone with screws, pins, rods, or wires. X-rays are taken after the hardware is attached to your child’s bone. Your child’s caregiver will close the skin with stitches or staples. A cast or splint will be put on your child’s arm to keep it straight while his bone heal
