If my child is very nervous, can they be given a sedative before surgery?

If my child is very nervous, can they be given a sedative before surgery?

Samuel Seelig (Anesthesiologist, Los Angeles, California) gives expert video advice on: Do children receive different medications than adults during surgery? and more...

Yes. Many paediatric anaesthesiologists sedate almost all of their children in the preoperative area prior to meeting them. They get either a by-mouth preparation of Versed or Fentenal. If a patient is an in-patient, sometimes they get an injection of pre-medication on the floor before they are brought to the operating room.