Are there any side effects of anesthesia for children?

Generally, major surgeries require strong anesthetics. Especially for children, the pain of surgery is unbearable, so they will be given anesthetics to some extent. However, some people say that anesthetics can have side effects. For example, anesthetics may affect children's IQ. So, are there any side effects of anesthesia for children? It is very necessary for parents to understand this.

Anesthesia is administered during surgery to ensure smooth operation. However, there are certain risks in administering anesthesia. For adults, the risks may be smaller, but for children, the risks are greater. If the operation does not go smoothly, it may cause harm to the patient.

Because children's organs are not fully developed and their body's compensatory functions are weaker than those of adults, anesthesia accidents are more likely to occur. Therefore, for older children, if they can really cooperate during the operation, it is better to avoid anesthesia as much as possible, so that the safety factor will be relatively improved. However, for younger children, the operation can only be successfully completed under anesthesia. Parents do not have to worry about affecting their children's intelligence and refusing anesthesia. Of course, as a special drug, anesthetics also have certain side effects, and the anesthesia process is not as simple as inserting a needle and making the child fall asleep. It requires a professional anesthesiologist to carefully select the indications and master the drug dosage before it can be used safely. During the operation, a highly responsible anesthesiologist is needed to carefully observe the child's reaction to the drug and surgery, and take effective countermeasures for possible accidents. Only in this way can the operation be carried out smoothly and the occurrence of accidents can be minimized and avoided.

Parents should pay attention to pre-operative visits

In addition, parents should pay attention to the anesthesiologist's pre-operative visit. Only when the anesthesiologist has a clear understanding of the child's medical history and physical condition, combined with a physical examination, can he make an anesthesia safety assessment and plan reasonable anesthesia methods and anesthetic drugs to reduce the chance of accidents. Parents of sick children should also listen to the precautions given by the anesthesiologist. For example, after a full meal, sick children are prone to airway obstruction due to vomiting and aspiration, which can cause cerebral hypoxia. Therefore, sick children should absolutely stop eating and drinking 4 to 6 hours before surgery. For children with a full stomach who need emergency surgery, parents should never say that they did not eat in the hope of having the surgery done quickly. Only by telling the anesthesiologist the true situation and allowing him to make a reasonable choice after comprehensively weighing the urgency of the operation and the safety of anesthesia can we minimize the occurrence of accidents.

There are certain side effects when children receive anesthesia during surgery, but these side effects are generally minor and will not cause harm to the children. However, the dosage of anesthetics must be strictly controlled. Improper use may cause great harm to children. Therefore, before the child undergoes surgery, parents must discuss this issue with the doctor.