What to Expect if Your
Child Needs Anesthesia
Helping children prepare can reduce their anxiety
An interview with Lawrence Feld, M.D., director
of pediatric anesthesia
When a child is scheduled for surgery, parents may have concerns about anesthesia.
At California Pacific Medical Center, pediatric anesthesiologists make the experience as
stress-free as possible for children and parents.
Prior to surgery, the anesthesiologist
meets the patient and parents and
explains what will happen. “The rest
of the preoperative experience depends
on the child’s age,” Lawrence Feld, M.D., director of pediatric anesthesia, says. “Infants
don’t have separation anxiety, which
starts at about 1 year of age and on
average peaks around age 7 and
diminishes around 10 years of age.”
Patients younger than age 2 are
automatically assigned a pediatric
anesthesiologist
who is board certified
in this subspecialty. Parents may
request a pediatric anesthesiologist for
any child under 18 years old.
Parents Provide Reassurance
“For kids who are anxious, we invite
one parent into the operating room to
comfort and reassure the child,” Feld
explains. “We often allow the child to
sit in the parent’s lap instead of lying
on the operating bed. Then we apply a
face mask that is coated with oil that
smells like strawberry, bubble gum or
another flavor of the child’s choosing.
Within 30 seconds or so, the child is
on his or her way to sleep.”
If a child is extremely anxious, an oral sedative
may be administered prior to anesthesia.
“We consult with parents to determine whether
preanesthesia medication is necessary,” Feld
says. “Most kids do fine just by having a parent
present.”
Once a child is under anesthesia, the parent
is escorted to the waiting area.
 Lawrence Feld, M.D. Pediatric Anesthesiologist Care After Surgery
“The patient wakes up shortly after surgery, and
parents are welcome to come into the recovery
room,” Feld says. “The child usually wakes up
comfortable, but pain medications are given as
necessary. While a child may wake up disoriented
and upset, that doesn’t necessarily mean
they’re in pain. After about a half hour, the
child and parents can move to a more comfortable
room if the child is stable.”
Feld notes that anesthesia also is usually
administered when a child undergoes magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI). “The child must be
motionless for about an hour during MRI,” he
says. “We administer a quick inhalational general
anesthetic first and then provide intravenous
anesthesia.”
| To Learn More |
|---|
| California Pacific’s
Child Life Program
can help educate
children and their
parents about
medical procedures,
including anesthesia.
For more
information, call
415-600-0710. |
|
