• Reference Number: HEY1460-2024
• Departments: Paediatrics
• Last Updated: 11 October 2024

United by compassion: driving for excellence

Introduction

This leaflet has been produced to give parents information and advice following an Orchidopexy.  It is not intended to replace the discussion between you and your Child’s Doctor.  If after reading it, you have any concerns or require further explanation, please discuss this with the relevant person who has been caring for your child.

Your Child’s Consultant is_______________________

Surgery Performed By__________________________

Should you need any further help or advice please telephone

Acorn Ward, Women and Children’s Hospital, HRI,

Telephone: (01482) 382609 or 382679.

Or contact the Paediatric Community Team Telephone (01482) 344075

Follow Up 

• The Community Paediatric Team has been contacted and will contact you to see if a wound check is needed.
• If an appointment is needed to be seen by the consultant/surgeon this will be arranged for you and sent to you in the post.

School/Nursery 

• Your Child will need to be off school or nursery for one to two weeks.
• If you feel that your child needs a little longer to recover we are happy for you to use your personal judgement.
• Your child should not do any PE, games and sport for four to six weeks.
• Swimming and cycling should be avoided for two to three weeks.

After the Surgery 

• The stitches are dissolvable and do not need removing.
• Your child will have either a plastic spray dressing over a scrotal wound or a small fabric dressing over a groin wound.
• There may be a small amount of blood on the dressing. This is normal but if you are concerned please contact us.
• There may be some swelling and bruising in the scrotal area. This is common and will gradually settle.

Pain Relief 

• We recommend that for the first 24-48 hours a suitable form of analgesia is given regularly if needed e.g. Paracetamol or Ibuprofen. This should be the appropriate dose for weight and age.
• Ibuprofen may not be suitable for asthmatics.

General Advice and Consent

Most of your questions should have been answered by this leaflet, but remember that this is only a starting point for discussion with the healthcare team.

Consent to treatment

Before any doctor, nurse or therapist examines or treats your child, they must seek your consent or permission. In order to make a decision, you need to have information from health professionals about the treatment or investigation which is being offered to your child. You should always ask them more questions if you do not understand or if you want more information.

The information you receive should be about your child’s condition, the alternatives available for your child, and whether it carries risks as well as the benefits. What is important is that your consent is genuine or valid. That means:

• you must be able to give your consent
• you must be given enough information to enable you to make a decision
• you must be acting under your own free will and not under the strong influence of another person

Information about your child

We collect and use your child’s information to provide your child with care and treatment. As part of your child’s care, information about your child will be shared between members of a healthcare team, some of whom you may not meet. Your child’s information may also be used to help train staff, to check the quality of our care, to manage and plan the health service, and to help with research. Wherever possible we use anonymous data.

We may pass on relevant information to other health organisations that provide your child with care. All information is treated as strictly confidential and is not given to anyone who does not need it. If you have any concerns please ask your child’s doctor, or the person caring for your child.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 we are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any information we hold about your child. For further information visit the following page: Confidential Information about You.

If you need information about your child’s (or a child you care for) health and wellbeing and their care and treatment in a different format, such as large print, braille or audio, due to disability, impairment or sensory loss, please advise a member of staff and this can be arranged.