It may help to ease some of your concerns to understand how the various types of anesthesia work to make the experience more comfortable for your child.
Anesthesia is broken down into three main categories: general, regional and local, all of which affect the nervous system in some way and can be administered using various methods and different medications.
General anesthesia
The goal of using general anesthesia is to make and keep a child completely unconscious (or “asleep”) during the operation, with no sensations, pain, awareness or memory of the surgery. General anesthesia can be given through an IV (which requires a needle stick into the vein, usually in the arm) or by inhaling gases or vapors by breathing into a mask or tube.
If your child is having general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist will be there before, during and after the operation to monitor the anesthetic medications and ensure your child is constantly receiving the right dose. With general anesthesia, the anesthesiologist uses a combination of various medications to:
- Keep your child asleep
- Stop pain during surgery and relieve pain afterward (using drugs called analgesics)
- Relieve anxiety
- Relax the muscles, which helps keep your child still
- Block out the memory of the surgery
After the surgery, the anesthesiologist reverses the anesthesia process to help your child wake up. It typically takes 45 minutes to an hour for kids to recover from general anesthesia.
Regional anesthesia
An anesthetic drug is injected near a cluster of nerves, numbing a large area of the body (such as epidurals given to patients in labor). In kids, regional and general anesthesia are often combined, except in very special circumstances. Regional anesthesia is generally used to make your child more comfortable during and after the surgical procedure. If regional anesthesia is appropriate for your child, this will be discussed during your conversation with your child’s anesthesiologist. The amount of recovery time varies depending on the type of regional anesthesia used.
Local anesthesia
An anesthetic drug (which can be given as a shot, spray or ointment) numbs only a small, specific area of the body (for example, a foot, hand or patch of skin). The numbing medicine will wear off in two to four hours.
More information about anesthesia
Often, anesthesiologists give children medicine to help them feel relaxed before surgery. Kids who are getting general anesthesia may be given a medicine through a special breathing mask first and then given an IV after they’re asleep.
On the day of surgery, your anesthesiologist will meet with you to discuss any questions or concerns you and your child may have. Sometimes, an illness such as a cold may cause problems during surgery. For the safety of your child, your anesthesiologist may feel it is best to postpone surgery until your child is healthy.