An infusion is one way to give medications and treatments to a child through their veins. Called intravenous or IV, these treatments might include:

•  Blood products, such as red blood cells or platelets
•  Chemotherapy to treat cancer
•  Antibiotics or medication infusions
•  Biotherapies
•  Immunoglobulin
•  Central line catheter care
•  Hydration therapy
•  Injection services
•  PICC/Midline insertions
•  Therapeutic phlebotomy

The Pediatric Infusion Center treats children with a variety of therapeutic needs, including:

•  Endocrinology
•  Gastroenterology
•  Hematology (blood disorders)
•  Oncology (cancer)
•  Rheumatology​​​​​​​

Conditions we treat include dehydration, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, systemic lupus and cancer – just to name a few.

Our pediatric infusion team is comprised of pediatric oncology-certified nurses and chemotherapy-certified pediatric nurses who have a special expertise in caring for children who need infusions. For chemotherapy services, a physician will be onsite to monitor your therapy. We also offer a child life specialist to help your child pass the time and to provide age-specific education regarding their treatment.

Our infusion team is dedicated to caring for you and your family, and we work closely together to help meet the unique emotional, developmental and cultural needs of each child and family. We are here to answer your questions and to provide you with information.

We strive to make your experience as smooth and stress-free as possible by providing flexible appointment scheduling, as well as help with insurance issues, including preauthorization.

Parents are encouraged to stay with their child throughout their treatment, as a welcome member of the care team. To protect our patients with weakened immune systems from infection, we ask that only healthy siblings over the age of 16 visit in the treatment area. However, we understand that each child has unique needs, and exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

To help lessen the pain of an IV poke, ask your referring physician for a prescription for EMLA cream. This is a numbing cream that you should apply to your child’s skin one hour before an IV is placed.

If your child has a history of anxiety with IVs or other pokes, talk with your child’s nurse or call one of our child life specialists for ideas that may help your child cope.

Please bring the following items with you to your child’s appointment.

•  Insurance card(s)
•  Medical history
•  List of current medications, along with dosage

You may also want to bring some small care items for your child, such as:

•  Blanket
•  Warm socks
•  Books
•  Small plastic toys
•  Handheld games and/or music devices
•  Snacks, bottles or other food/drink. Please refrain from bringing foods with strong odors, as they may cause nausea in other patients.

If your child is sick or has a cough, please contact your child’s healthcare provider to find out if you need to reschedule your child’s appointment.

If you are told to keep the appointment, please let the registration staff know upon check-in that your child is sick so that we can help keep your child separate from other patients.

If your child’s healthcare provider says to cancel the appointment, please call us to let us know.

For more information about the Pediatric Infusion Center, please call 850-416-4941.

One of the main ways to treat cancer is with chemotherapy, a type of medication that is used to fight cancer cells. There are many different kinds of chemotherapy to treat the various forms of cancer. Your pediatric oncologist will choose the one that is best for your child. Chemotherapy helps adults and children with cancer get better, but if not made properly, it can be very harmful.

Your child's chemotherapy is prepared by expertly trained pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, who have completed special training to make sure your chemotherapy is made correctly. The chemotherapy is made in a very clean area called the Biological Safety Cabinet. This keeps the medication sterile (germ-free). It also keeps the pharmacists and technicians safe because they have less direct contact with the chemotherapy. The same chemotherapy that helps children with cancer get better can be harmful to someone without cancer.

Our goal is to make your appointment go as safely and smoothly as possible, and we want you to know what to expect so you can plan accordingly. As we strive to provide the best cancer treatments, nothing is more important to us than your child's safety and comfort.

Several steps are needed to make your child's chemotherapy just right:

Step 1: The doctor orders the chemotherapy based on your child's examination and laboratory results on the day of your appointment.

Step 2: The doctor’s orders are reviewed by the nurse and sent to the pharmacy.

Step 3: The pharmacist reviews the order for accuracy and completeness and enters the order into the computer system. The computer
system generates a label that will be attached to your child's chemotherapy.

Step 4: The technician reviews the label and gathers the supplies needed to make your child's chemotherapy. The technician then puts the chemotherapy in a bag or syringe and adds the label.

Step 5: The pharmacist checks the chemotherapy for accuracy and completeness.

Step 6: The nurse picks up the chemotherapy from the pharmacy, performs the final check and administers the chemotherapy.

Special Note: Making one dose of chemotherapy can take between 20 and 40 minutes, depending upon the type of chemotherapy. Some drugs are powders and need time to dissolve. Also, many patients receive multiple drugs at one time.

Your chemotherapy is made just for YOU! Unfortunately, your child's caregivers cannot make it ahead of time because the ingredients in the medicine are based on how your child is doing the day of your appointment. The process does take time, and we appreciate your patience.

Thank you for choosing the Pediatric Infusion Center at the Studer Family Children's Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart!

If you have any questions about our services, please call 850-416-4941.