Keeping kids calm under anesthesia
MANILA, Philippines - Kids generally prefer to stay as far away from the doctor’s office as possible. They find strange people in masks terrifying, and find even just the idea of injections horrible. But when a medical procedure requires an anesthetic, how can you convince children to not be frightened of the needle prick?
It’s easy to dismiss children as simply smaller adults, but the differences extend beyond size. There are important factors to consider in administering anesthesia, one of which is children’s biological development.
“Pediatric anesthesia is different from adult anesthesia basically because the child is not a miniature adult. Adults have reached their maximum development. Pediatric patients are still growing, developing, and have characteristic peculiarities at certain ages,” says Iluminada Camagay, MD, of the Department of Anesthesiology at Makati Medical Center, the Philippines’ premier healthcare facility.
Extra care is required of the anesthesiologist handling a child’s case as there had been instances where trauma caused a significant personality shift in the child. The anesthesiologist should effectively deliver the anesthetic without the patient being frightened of the needle prick and the pain associated with it. When kids ask if the needle will hurt, Dr. Camagay says a reasonable answer can be, “Maybe a little, but if you’re very brave and don’t move, it’ll be over right away.”
Often, the patient and family meet prior to the procedure to allow the pediatric anesthesiologist to set the child at ease. It is crucial to get the patient’s medical history, because according to Dr. Camagay, “The anesthetic is tailored to the patient and the medical procedure, as individuals respond differently to anesthesia.”
Some procedures, such as setting a fracture, will require only a nerve block for adults. Kids, however, may require a general anesthetic to allay their fears and anxiety, and to allow him/her to sleep.
Many diagnostic procedures are undertaken with the child under general anesthesia. “For example, magnetic resonance imaging or MRI is not a painful procedure,” says Dr. Camagay. “However, the subject has to lie perfectly still in order for the camera to take clear images. Eliciting the cooperation of the child to maintain an uncomfortable position for close to two hours is impossible without general anesthesia.”
For more information, contact MakatiMed On-Call at 888-8999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.
