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Introduction 

Hardware is used in some surgical procedures to help keep your child’s bones in place while they heal. Hardware can include:

• metal plates
• screws
• pins
• wires.

Hardware must be removed from the bone after a certain amount of time to prevent them from:

• growing out of place
• becoming weak and more at risk of fracture or breaking
• causing discomfort.

Your child’s treatment team will let you know if any tests or scans need to be done and whether they need to see a physiotherapist or occupational therapist before the procedure.

The hospital will call you before your child’s procedure to let you know:

• what time you need to arrive
• when your child needs to stop eating and drinking
• how long your child may need to stay in the hospital.

You may also want to tell:

• your child’s school of their surgery
• your workplace that you may need time off around the surgery
• friends and family who may be able to help out while your child is recovering.

Your child will be under a general anaesthetic for the procedure. This means they will be asleep and will not feel any pain. 

Your child’s surgeon will use the same cuts made in the previous surgery to remove the hardware. 

The procedure to remove hardware should be smaller and quicker than the original surgery. This will also depend on the type, size, location, and amount of hardware used.

After the procedure, your child will be given pain medicine. In hospital, pain management is given through:

• a drip
• oral medicine.

Your child’s doctor will let you know when they can go home from the hospital. This will depend on: 

• their recovery 
• how strong the bone is 
• whether any other procedures were done at the same time.

Your child’s bones may be weaker after the hardware has been removed. This can increase the risk of fractures or breaks for up to six weeks after the procedure. It will take time for the area to heal and become strong again.