Outpatient Surgery

Find your care

UCLA Health pediatric surgeons specialize in delivering outstanding surgical care to every child. Call 310-206-2429 to connect with an expert.

A seamless experience for pediatric surgery

At UCLA Health, we provide specialized pediatric surgeries at our UCLA Ambulatory Surgery Center, where your child can receive expert care without the need for a hospital stay.

We’ve made the process easier and quicker by reducing paperwork and other steps often required in a hospital setting. Our dedicated team, including pediatric anesthesiologists, ensures your child receives the same top-quality care you’d expect from UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, but in a more convenient and efficient way.

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Child-friendly surgical environment

Our approach focuses on making the surgical experience as comforting and stress-free as possible for young children. Whenever we can, we use "gas-first" anesthesia, which helps avoid the discomfort of placing an IV before your child is asleep. Our outpatient surgery center also offers a cozy waiting room close to the recovery area, so you can be nearby. After surgery, your child will recover in a private room, where you can be with them right away. Most children wake up from anesthesia and are ready to head home within about an hour after their procedure.

Common pediatric procedures

The following are some of the common procedures we perform at our center:

Correction of undescended testes and circumcision
Placement and removal of vascular access devices
Removal of cysts or benign lumps (head, neck, trunk, extremities)
Anorectal procedures
Removal of surgically placed hardware (e.g., pectus deformities)
Repair of umbilical and inguinal hernias

Preoperative instructions for Ambulatory Surgery Center

Your child’s outpatient surgery will be performed on the 6th floor of the 200 UCLA Medical Plaza (Suite 660). Please call us at (310) 794-1087 after 3:00 PM the day before surgery to confirm your arrival time. This step is important, as scheduling changes may occur.

Fasting guidelines

To ensure your child's safety during surgery, their stomach must be empty. Anesthesia requires an empty stomach to prevent complications. Please follow the fasting guidelines below based on your child's age.

Please note:

Solids include all non-liquid foods, milk, milk products, breast milk, and formula.
Clears include water, apple juice, Kool-Aid, clear soda, Pedialyte, chicken broth, and Jell-O without fruit.

Infants (0-6 months):

Solids: Allowed up to 4 hours before surgery
Clears: Allowed up to 2 hours before surgery

Infants (6-36 months):

Solids: Allowed up to 6 hours before surgery
Clears: Allowed up to 4 hours before surgery

Children (4 years and older):

Solids: Allowed up to 8 hours before surgery. We recommend nothing to eat after midnight on the day of surgery.
Clears: We recommend nothing to drink after midnight on the day of surgery.

If your child is sick

If your child shows signs of a cold or illness a few days before surgery (such as a cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat, or ear pain, or ear infection), please contact your surgeon. It’s best for your child to be healthy for surgery to ensure a quick recovery.

After surgery

Your child will spend about 1 hour in the recovery room after surgery. Once they are stable, you will be able to take them home. Please remember to schedule a follow-up appointment with your surgeon for 1-3 weeks after surgery as directed.