I was honored to share the digital podium with Dr. S. Ramesh during a recent YouTube lecture program on avoiding pediatric anesthesia problems. Dr Ramesh is a well known and highly respected pediatric anesthesiologist from Chennai, India. Our lectures were hosted on the Online Anaesthesia TV Channel, where you can find a wide variety of interesting and important anesthesia topics.
Anesthesia providers who don’t care for children frequently can find their care intimidating. The reasons pediatric anesthesia, especially for children less than 2 years old, can be scary is simple:
- Children obstruct easily
- They get hypoxic quickly
- And if hypoxia occurs, it can cause bradycardia that can lead to cardiac arrest if not treated quickly
However, the fact of the matter is that the vast majority of children have easy airways and healthy hearts. The important factor for keeping them safe is making sure that they remain oxygenated and well ventilated. To do so, you need to:
- take the differences in anatomy and physiology into account
- prepare what you need ahead of time
- be methodical and gentle
If you follow these principals, you will not hurt the child.
I hope you find these pediatric lectures helpful in avoiding pediatric anesthesia problems.
Also check out an excellent anesthesia training website, anaesthesianews.wordpress.com, hosted by Dr Edward Johnson (Past President of Tamilnadu State ISA H.O.D Department of Anaesthesiology, Kanyakumari Govt Medical College, Asaripallam, Kanyakumari).
