General Anesthesia: A Cutting edge of treatment in pediatric patients

Rapid growth of population is very dynamic as it depends upon the physiologic processes that undergoes drug disposition and rapid changes in pediatrics. Pharmacological consideration requires the specifications in pediatric patients. During administering general anesthesia to children, the surgeons should have a brief knowledge on pharmacologic, physiological differences between the adults and infants.

General Anesthesia

The immediately before, during, and after surgery (perioperative period) immediately is a critical time for pediatric patients. Medications provides a blunt physiologic response and render patients unaware of what is being done to or around them. The increased risk for mortality and morbidity in the perioperative period demands the utmost vigilance. Such risks may be increased in certain disease states. The purpose of general anesthesia is to suppress the conscious perception of, and physiologic response to, noxious stimuli and to render the patient unconscious.

Phases of Anesthesia are:

·         Preanesthetic Phase

·         Induction Phase

·         Maintenance Phase

·         Reversal Phase

Preanesthetic Phase: Numerous classes of medications can be given to children as anticholinergics, histamine blockers, sedatives, analgesics,) during the preanesthetic phase. The phase ensures that the patient arrives in the operating room in a relaxed manner, calm without compromised breathing or impaired cardiovascular status.

Induction Phase: General anesthesia is induced with either inhalation or intravenous (IV) medications. In most instances, the volatile anesthetic agents are preferred in children over IV medications because they do not require IV access. IV medications are used to induce anesthesia in children only in rare circumstances mostly in case of hyperthermia.

Maintenance Phase: This phase is the period between induction and emergence. During this time, the child should be asleep, hemodynamic responses to painful stimuli, and homeostatically supported Neuromuscular blockers are used during muscle paralysis is needed.

Reversal Phase: The volatile inhalation agents rapidly leave the lungs during ventilation and thus do not require other products to reverse their actions.

The above phases are administered for the treatment in infants and pediatric patients.