General Anesthesia on Children

At one time it was suggested that we put our daughter under for some general dental procedures. I spoke with the pediatrician about this and she told me that I needed to find out exactly what kind of anesthesia they'd be using and if they had the necessary equipment and experience to resucitate children. She also recommended that I do not let anyone put my child under unless it was the dentist at the children's hospital. We ended up switching dentists and finding out that the proposed "work" was unnecessary.

With this being said it might be worth getting the answers to these questions and discussing it with your pediatrician.

My son had oral surgery (obstructed salivary duct) when he was 4 with general anesthesia. We had a pediatric anesthesiologist who was great. The entire thing was uneventful. My son was not frightened and he woke up smoothly.

That said anesthetic complications happen but the are RARE (of course that doesn't matter if you are the one in a million). In one large tertiary care center there were 10 anesthesia related deaths in 101,885 anesthetic events. All children who died had pre-existing medical conditions contributing to the anesthetic death. (http://www.csen.com/ped.pdf). General anesthesia is extremely safe in otherwise healthy children (and adults too).

I would only allow my son to have general anesthesia in a hospital setting (not a dentist's office) and only with a pediatric anesthesiologist.

I looked at the links MommyB posted and I see nothing there to be concerned about providing anesthesia is performed in an appropriate setting.

Anesthesia risks are lower than ever. As I understand it, the drugs used are safer. Any surgery has risks. If you can get a pediatric anesthesiologist that would be best.

My son has had five oral surgeries (poor kid got Mom's teeth), all under general anesthesia. He flipped out about the IV the first time, so they put him to sleep with gas and then did the IV for that one and all future operations. His surgeries were all very quick, the longest part was always coming out of the anesthesia. My understanding is that people tend to come out of it differently, but whatever they do the first time is a good predictor of how they'll react in the future. In his case, he was a little cranky and a lot loopy. His oral surgeon gives a coupon for a free smoothie from a shop across the street. The idea is to go get it right away. It's cold (helps stem bleeding) and tastes good. Corey almost never had more than a tiny bit of it right away, and I had to work to get that much in. Mostly, he wanted to rest for a few hours after and then took it easy for the rest of the day.

I hope this helps. Best wishes for your son.

My son has been under general anesthesia twice. The first time he was less than 2 years old and the second time he was 3. It terrified me but truthfully he awakened from it once the procedures were finished within a mere 30-45 seconds. He had no lasting effects or problems. To the best of my knowledge the risks for little ones going are the same as adults. When my son was under two separate nurses monitored his vital signs and a third was making certain he received a constant streaming of the anesthesia, this was in addition to the doctor performing what needed to be done. I know this is not an easy thing to go through and I hope all comes out well once it is over.

My son has been under general anesthesia several times (2 open heart surgeries and 2 cath procedures). He was fine. I'm sure there are risks, but we did not have a choice. Are you having the dental procedures done at a Children's Hospital? Would that be an option?

My daughter had 3 cavities when she was 3 and the dentist said she didnt fill cavities on kids that young. We got a ref to a surg ctr where they did put her under gen anesthesia to fill her teeth.
Im going to be honest, bc it was weird. I did feel comfortable with the care that was given, but just watching them put her under and when she woke up, it was just different. After they put them under, its almost like she was frozen, with her eyes open. I was freaked out, (but saw all the other expressions on parents faces before I went in, so I know my response was norm). When she woke up after the surg, it was bizzare, but she was norm after 2 hrs. Of course I would do it again, I mean, now her teeth are fixed and she hasnt had any issues. As for risks, there is always risks with anesthesia, the biggest one being an allergic reaction. They did go over and ask me several times if anyone in my fam had allergies to anesthesia. I also remember the dr. telling me (after my shocked expression when she was put to sleep), that if there was and abnormal reaction, they would know right away and have equip to reverse the reaction. Umm, I hope my post doesnt sound scary, bc it was really not that bad. Pls feel free to pm me if you have any ques.

Due to horror stories I have heard about it going wrong could mean the child dies, I have told my husband that ONLY for life or death surgeries would I choose general anesthesia for me, him and the kids. My now almost 5 year old "had" to get surgery on her thumb when she was 3. It was stuck and it hurt her sometimes- a tendon of hers over-grew and it would make it so she could not use her thumb. I did some research and found out that the only way to get it worked on was with general anesthesia. I told the doctor "no", and we did not get the surgery done. I KNEW I made the right decision... ESPECIALLY when, 6 months later, her thumb corrected itself on its own!!!

This is something that sounds very similar to your situation:
http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-child-death-vcu,0,###-###-#...

Too many bad things can happen with general anesthesia... Here's ONE example:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2074641/Maryland-...

By the way, she could have DEFINITELY gotten her wisdom teeth pulled w/o going under! Everyone i know that has gotten it done did not use general anesthesia.

The whole idea here is if it CAN be done without it, then do it that way! It TOTALLY isn't worth the risk- OR the possible long-term effects.

Also, anesthesia is not something that is good for you in the long run:
http://www.anesthesiaweb.org/dementia.php

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090324091205...

http://expertpages.com/news/mortality_anesthesia.htm

...and there's SO much more about it. Please Google it.

And, I'm not trying to unnecessarily SCARE you or anyone, I just think it is a BIG, BIG decision, and not enough people know that it is. UGGH. It is just one of those issues I'm very passionate about.

And yes, you will have people on here saying they or their child had it, and they are fine... BUT those possible risks are a deal-breaker for me. It just isn't worth it, unless it is MAJOR necessary surgery, and there's basically no choice. Same reason I don't sky-dive... the risk of dying. Now, if the plane was going to crash, of COURSE I'd jump with a parachute.

DANA K: the question is: WHY do it? Why take the risk (even though slim), for something that involves CHOICE? Being against general anesthesia in cases where there are other alternatives is NOT a bad thing at all. It is a very responsible and cautious decision. ...and I'm not saying your particular case with your child is an example of NOT needing it (I'm not at all familiar with obstructed salivary ducts), but cases where it IS a choice, it is an easy decision for me, DON'T do it!

I always think it is interesting the comments on anesthesia. My son had to be sedated to have dental work done because he is Autism spectrum, there was just no other way.

I also work for anesthesiologist and know very well the risks. The thing is there really aren't risks if you just don't freaking lie on the questions. Still with children you just don't know all the answers, nothing wrong with that but then don't cry about the costs if they ask you for a prequal. All a prequal is is running tests to make sure your child has none of the conditions that could cause issues or death.

Seems really simple, apparently not. Oh the charge for a prequal is 65 dollars and isn't covered by insurance. Don't know about you but I have no problem paying 65 dollars to make sure there are not complications.

So far as the suggestions you only do it in the hospital that is horse hockey. We have three vans that are mobile clinics so to speak. Everything you would find in a hospital are found in those vans, one is specific for pediatric including the anesthesiologist that staffs is specializes in pediatric cases. There is no more risk in using your dentist that uses these mobile doctors than going to a hospital or outpatient clinic.

Now if you have a dentist that does it all on his own, then I would be concerned.

The first dentist we saw prescribed a procedure requiring general anesthesia. One of the first things he noted were the risks (I suppose they have to mention this). This caused me so much stress that I ended up going to about 5 different dentists before finally settling on the general anesthesia route. Surprisingly, all the dentists chose different protocols each involving general anesthesia; however, there was one who agreed to a conscious sedation. The conscious sedation was cancelled at the last minute because the dentist believed he wasn't a good candidate since he had severe separation anxiety and they wouldn't permit me to be present (this was after waiting for 2 months for the procedure). Nonetheless, at first I was distraught, but now I am glad that the procedure was cancelled because it would have caused him a lot of unnecessary tears and trauma (he was just under 2 at the time).

Aside from the risks, which are very minimal under good quality care, my biggest concern was the fasting. We just kept him up late the preceding night and allowed him to snack. I also fought to allow him to nurse up to 6 hours prior to the procedure. It went off without a hitch after months and months of worry. I am pretty sure that I had never hugged a dentist before, but I was so grateful for the care he received that I couldn't help myself.

I would never allow my grandkids to have any dental work done without it. I feel it is inhumane to make a small child go through a procedure that is going to entail shots, drilling, grinding, poking gums, the smell of the tooth being worked on, the whole thing. They do not need to remember that. They go in the surgery room breathe some gas, get the IV put in while they are out, have the work done, come out a few minutes later, wake up and are ready to go eat and play at McDonalds or somewhere fun.

We have had all the work done under anesthesia at the local out patient surgery center. It is as safe for them as for anyone. There are risks going under anesthesia but they really are minimal, they do happen but it's not likely.

My son had general anesthesia for the surgical removal of a dermoid cyst on his face this past summer. He was only 20 mths old at the time, and I was worried out of my mind. But he did fine, and he bounced back in record time. Coming out of the anethesia was a little rough and he cried a lot because he was scared and confused, but that happens with adults too. There is always a risk when you use general anethesia. Definitely discuss these risks with your pediatrician and get everybody on the same page. With children, it is essential that the anesthesiologist has experience treating children and is well equipped to handle anything that may come up during or after the procedure.

My son had general anesthesia at 3 months old to correct a bronchial cleft duct. Risks of general anesthesia for children are the same as risks for adults - but in my son's case the risk of the duct abscessing in his throat was worse. I had to have the surgery done. He did just fine. That was 15 years ago.

Weigh the pros and cons, talk more to your dentist, and do what feels right for your child and your family.

Personally, due to kidney and dental issues, I was under general anesthesia 3 times in the past 13 months and had no complications.

Good Luck.