Mt Ogden Anesthesia
anesthesia
CHILDREN AND
Your child’s anesthesia provider will determine the safest and most effective type of anesthesia based on the type of surgery, your child’s age, and your child's medical condition.
He or she will discuss the risks of anesthesia with you. We encourage you to ask any questions.
Before we give anesthesia, we may give your child a sedative to make him/her feel calm and relaxed. This happens before we move your child into the operating room (OR). Once in the OR, the different types of anesthesia we may use include:
LOCAL
Anesthesia
We use local anesthesia to numb a small area so that your child does not feel pain there. With a local anesthetic, the child remains conscious.
Often, we combine a local anesthetic with other types of anesthesia for comprehensive pain management and sedation..
GENERAL
Anesthesia
With general anesthesia, your child remains asleep and pain-free for the whole surgery. Your child will inhale the anesthesia through a breathing mask. For older children, we may give it through an intravenous (IV) line that puts the medicine directly into the vein. Sometimes we place a breathing tube after your child is asleep to help your child breathe safely during surgery. When the surgery is over, anesthesia stops. As the medications wear off, your child will gradually wake up.
Anesthesia
CHILDREN WAKING FROM
Each child wakes up from anesthesia differently. Some become wide awake in the recovery room. Others may be groggy for hours. It may take children a while to fully wake from anesthesia in the recovery room. We will contact you as soon as possible to reunite you with your child, in the recovery room, known as the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).
Some children experience confusion or excitement, known as “emergence delirium,” as they wake from anesthesia. Emergence delirium is a common reaction that can happen to any child, especially those younger than 6 years old. It may cause children to cry inconsolably and sometimes even scream or thrash. This may be upsetting to parents who assume their child is in pain.
Important things to remember about emergence delirium:
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It does not mean your child is in pain.
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It will go away on its own.
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Your child will not remember it.
Members of the surgical team will be there in the PACU with you and can talk you through it. The best role for you as a parent or guardian is to try to stay calm and comfort your child during the excited states.