Pediatric Anesthesia
What method is used for pediatric anesthesia?
If my child is very nervous, can they be given a sedative before surgery?
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.
Do children receive different medications than adults during surgery?
Children receive the same balanced anesthesia technique as adults under anesthesia. Obviously the dosages are very different. They have to be calculated based on weight or body mass. The medications are essentially the same. They receive minor tranquilizers, narcotics, muscle relaxants, inhalation gases, or drying agents depending on the procedure.
How can anesthesiologists make things easier for children?
When you see the great paediatric anaesthesiologists work, you really see the art of anesthesia. They come into the pre-operative area and from the minute they lay eyes on the child, they begin to bond with that child in some way, shape or form. They try to gain some knowledge of the child before they get in. If the child has an Xbox 360, if he has Shrek III paraphernalia, if he's wearing Jordan's, he'll have something to have in common with that child or to talk to the child about; some way to bond with the child. Before you enter that child's space, you want to have some relationship with the child. It takes a few minutes to bond and to get closer. You want to become that child's friend and companion more than his physician when you first meet him. There are other ways to make the child comfortable. You may spend time and say, "You're going to be an astronaut in the operating room" and introduce him to the mask and say, "You're going to be wearing this mask. You'll be breathing through it. Make believe that you're a high tech fighter pilot." You may want to ask him to blow up a balloon and say, "You'll be blowing up a balloon in the operating room." It's important to bring that child into the operating room comfortable and secure.
