Sedation Services

Sedation services at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital will provide sedation to your child during medical or diagnostic procedures. Our compassionate, dedicated team works with child life services to make your child as comfortable as possible before, during and after their visit. We help nearly 5,000 children each year, doing everything we can to ensure their hospital experience is compassionate and kid-friendly, while providing the answers to direct their treatment and recovery.

When your child is having any kind of procedure, it's understandable to be a little uneasy. You probably have plenty of questions about everything-what kind of pain management will be used, how it's administered and what your child will experience, and whether you can be there with him or her throughout. Sedation accomplishes two very important things:

• It allows the necessary test or procedure to be done safely with better results and accuracy.
• It minimizes fear or discomfort for your child.
• We use a variety of effective and safe sedation techniques tailored to the specific needs of your child and the planned procedure.

About the Patients We Treat
We routinely work with children who are undergoing diagnostic tests and procedures, such as:

• Endoscopy
• Orthopaedic procedures
• MRI
• CT
• PET scans

What to Expect
A big part of reducing anxiety is information. Our goal is to work together as a team, with you and your child playing an active role in planning your visit. When you arrive, a nurse will take the time to understand what's important to you and your child. We'll provide individualized care based on your child's needs. We understand that when it's your child, there is no such thing as a minor procedure. By offering a dedicated sedation services team, we are uniquely qualified to deliver safe, effective, less-stress care. Parents are encouraged to call the sedation services department with any questions.

• 24-48 hours before your visit a nurse will call you to answer any questions and get your child's medical history.
• A pediatric intensivist or pediatrician will give or directly supervise giving the sedation medication.
• A pediatric intensivist is a doctor who is educated in pediatric critical care medicine.
• A pediatric sedation nurse will assist the intensivist.
• Both the sedation nurse and the intensivist have specialized education in administering sedation medication.
• Your sedation nurse will monitor your child throughout the sedation, procedure and recovery process.
• A child life specialist will visit your child pre-procedure, to use fun, age-appropriate distraction methods as part of the preparation.
• Your sedation doctor and nurse will also have pharmacological techniques available to minimize any discomfort and anxiety that may occur.
• Parents cannot be in the room during a procedure for safety/infection control reasons, but we make every effort to keep you with your child for as long as possible before they go to sleep and as soon as they wake up.
• Pagers are offered so you can go eat or something during the procedure.
• The intensivists will check your child's health before the procedure.

Meet the Team
Our sedation services team is educated and experienced in sedating infants and children. We are dedicated and committed to providing the highest quality of family centered care.

John Kopec, MD
Medical Director, Pediatric Sedation Services
Medical School: University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
Residency: Southwestern Michigan Area Medical Education
Board Certification: Pediatric critical care
Special Interests: Pediatric critical care, nutrition in the critically ill

Becky Meek, RN
Sedation Services Manager
Phone: 616.267.0259
rebecca.meek@devoschildrens.org

Shauna Boughey, BS, CCLS, CTRS
Child Life Specialist
shauna.boughey@devoschildrens.org
Phone: 616.267.0125
Pager: 616. 479.4595

Contact Us
Phone: 616.267.1100

A sedation nurse is available by phone Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.