Is Anaesthesia Safe in Children?
Your anaesthetist has spent many years of training to make sure that your child is safe during surgery. They are constantly monitoring for changes in breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, depth of anaesthesia and unexpected events which although rare, may occur during surgery. It is this training and standards set by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists that has made anaesthesia here in Australia as safe if not safer than anywhere in the world.
Anaesthesia is associated with a number of possible complications and side effects. It is not possible to outline every rare complication but below is a brief description of common and serious side effects. They are listed to inform you and not to alarm you. It is important to know that if your child is essentially well without serious medical problems, the chance of a severe complication from anaesthesia is rare.
What are the side effects of general anaesthesia?
Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting affects some children more than others and it occurs more after certain types of surgical procedures. There are special types of medications that anaesthetists give to try to prevent vomiting however, there is always a risk that your child will become sick after an anaesthetic. If your child has been sick after previous anaesthetics or if your child is prone to motion sickness, please discuss this with your anaesthetist.
Pain
Your anaesthetist will try to make sure that your child wakes after their operation as comfortable as possible. However, children vary greatly with their pain relief requirements for surgery and pain control techniques make need to be adjusted. If your child wakes with pain in recovery, they will be given extra pain relief quickly.
Sore Throat
While your child is asleep, an airway or breathing tube is inserted into the throat to make sure that the child can breath well. This may cause a small amount of discomfort which may last for a day or two.
Skin Bruising
The skin may bruise at the site of an intravenous drip or other injections.
Allergic Reaction
Although uncommon, there is a small chance that your child may get a reaction from an anaesthetic drug. These reactions can vary from a rash to more serious breathing and blood pressure problems. Your anaesthetist is trained to manage these uncommon emergencies.
Breathing problems
Anaesthesia can cause breathing problems. These problems are more common in children with pre-existing asthma or other medical problems such as obstructive sleep apnoea. Another serious complication can occur if stomach contents get into the lungs and damage them. This is the reason that your child has to be fasted before their operation.
Side effects from nerve blocks and caudals
Sometimes your anaesthetist may elect to do a nerve block or a caudal as part of the anaesthetic. While nerve blocks have proven to be very safe, some numbness and weakness can be associated with this. Rarely nerve damage can occur which could result in numbness or weakness lasting longer (months or even permanently). These complications are very rare.
