Your Cleft and Craniofacial Team

Only the Best Care for Your Child

As a parent of a child with a craniofacial disorder, you experience the wonder and amazement that your child brings to your family every day. At AdventHealth for Children, we are here to embrace, celebrate, support and guide you through your child’s care journey.

We use leading-edge techniques and advanced technology to thoroughly diagnose your child’s specific condition. This guides our treatment recommendations and ensures that each child receives personalized care and that your family has a clear path forward. We also work in partnership with other specialists throughout AdventHealth for Children to give your child a multidisciplinary care team to meet their individual needs.

Our pediatric plastic surgeons are ready to help your child smile again. To get started, request an appointment and our Nurse Care Coordinator will contact you.

A Multidisciplinary Team Dedicated to Your Child

You want the absolute best for your child, and so do we. That is why you will have an entire multidisciplinary team providing them with comprehensive, coordinated care. Our cleft and craniofacial team works closely together, continually communicating and collaborating to provide the care your child needs, when they need it. The team meets regularly to discuss challenging cases and urgent needs, with a goal of providing the best care to help your family feel whole.

Your Cleft and Craniofacial Care Experts

Depending on your child’s specific craniofacial condition and customized treatment plan, your care team may include any of the following expert pediatric specialists who hold the highest certification and training in their respective fields.

  • Audiologists
  • Anesthesiologists
  • Complex Care Pediatricians
  • Dentists
  • Dermatologists
  • Ear Nose and Throat Physicians
  • Geneticists
  • Neuropsychologists
  • Neurosurgeons
  • Ophthalmologists
  • Oral Surgeons
  • Orthodontists
  • Personal Care Coordinators
  • Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons
  • Physician Assistants
  • Radiologists
  • Registered Dietitians
  • Speech, Language and Feeding Therapists
  • Social Workers

Personalized Care Coordination for Your Child

As a specially trained registered nurse, Tiffani is your guide throughout your child’s treatment journey and serves as your main point of contact for any needs or questions your family may have, getting to know you and your child on a personal level to ensure the greatest care possible. As the care coordinator, Tiffani takes off the burden of scheduling appointments for various providers and facilities and helps you navigate your child's care with ease.

Your Child's Surgical Journey With Compassion and Expertise

If your child requires surgery, our Cleft and Craniofacial Nurse Care Coordinator will provide you with detailed pre-operative and post-operative guidance and counseling to ensure you feel confident, cared for and prepared for your child's procedure.

Before Surgery
  • We focus on optimizing your child’s health. If needed, we will provide transfusions, supplements (such as iron), and/or blood products to provide an element of neuroprotection (preservation of the structure and function of nerve cells) and to decrease the likeliness of your child needing a transfusion during surgery.
  • Immediately prior to surgery, we administer gabapentin (an anticonvulsant and nerve pain medication) to reduce the need for pain relief after surgery. This may be continued at a lower dose until your child is discharged from the hospital.
  • Our entire craniofacial team maintains close communication amongst all members of your child’s care team, especially the surgical and anesthesia providers.
During Surgery
  • We administer a combination of local anesthetic and dexamethasone (a steroid to reduce inflammation) along with multimodal pain control, avoiding narcotics as much as possible.
  • We aim to minimize narcotic use while ensuring adequate pain control.
  • Our surgical team uses strategies to maintain near zero fluid balance, including use of autologous red cell recycling (infusing your child’s own washed red blood cells that were collected prior to surgery).
After Surgery
  • Immediately after surgery, we administer medication to control your child’s pain (using non-narcotic first-line agents) and to prevent nausea and/or vomiting (ketorolac, acetaminophen, ondansetron, hydromorphone, lorazepam).
  • In the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), we will shift your child from a clear liquid diet to a mechanical soft diet as studies have proven this decreases length of stay in the hospital and improves patient outcomes when combined with the above.

Personalized, Family-Centered Care

Our entire craniofacial team is committed to providing your child with the advanced, comprehensive, whole-person care they need to thrive and reach their fullest potential. It all begins with our individualized approach. We treat more than just the body. Our team believes in working closely with each other and with your family to ease minds and lift spirits as well.

  • Conducting Prenatal Consultations

    Certain craniofacial conditions, such as cleft lip and palate and craniosynostosis, can sometimes be detected on prenatal ultrasound. We know any potential concern with your baby’s health or appearance can be scary. That is why we are here to listen, answer any questions you may have and provide guidance on how best to prepare for your child’s arrival. Our prenatal consultations allow you the opportunity to meet our craniofacial physician team and begin discussing the right treatment plan for your baby, prior to your delivery date. We also closely collaborate with our genetics team as needed.

  • Offering Second Opinions and Regional/International Consultations

    We know a diagnosis of a craniofacial condition in your child — whether rare or common — can be scary and overwhelming. We want you to feel confident in the care plan for your child. That is why our experienced craniofacial surgeons are happy to review your child’s case and meet with you in person or virtually to provide you with a second opinion. In addition, we offer virtual consultations for families outside the Central Florida area and are also available to consult with your child’s local care team.

Innovative Care You Can Trust

At AdventHealth for Children, we understand that as a parent, nothing but the best will do for your child. Our team is committed to continually advancing and improving the craniofacial care we provide. This means incorporating the latest proven technologies, minimally invasive techniques and evidence-based approaches to optimize patient outcomes.

Patient

Rae Lynn

Patient Testimonials

I am in awe of Dr. Sawh-Martinez’s craftsmanship, thoughtfulness, and demeanor. I am floored by Rea Lynn's progress. We live an hour away, but will continue to make the drive just for this team. – Mom

Patient

Rae Lynn