There is some experimental evidence of anaesthetics injuring brain cells in newborn mice when exposed to high concentration. As yet, there is no evidence in humans.

We allow parents to come in with their children if we think this will help to calm them down. This is often unnecessary for younger infants and teenagers.

General anaesthesia is a carefully controlled coma. The patient is constantly monitored for adequacy of anaesthesia. The amount of anaesthetic drugs is also carefully controlled. Hence the incidence of awareness is rather low, in the vicinity of 0.1%.

We can often put children off to sleep with a mask if this is safe before the intravenous cannulation. However there are some children who do not like the mask. We can reduce the pain from intravenous cannulation by applying some anaesthetic cream to the hands. There are also situations when it is necessary to commence intravenous cannulation first.

Children at different ages can feel anxious before surgery due to different reasons. There could be the fear of pain, of a needle, of strange environment, of not waking up afterwards or even of the mask. It is often helpful especially for older children to be informed of what is to happen and why. It is also important for parents to appear confident and strong, and to be supportive of their child. Children can often sense their parents’ anxiety and this makes things even worse. The anaesthetist can prescribe a sedative for your child before surgery if necessary.

Unless there is any contraindication, your child can drink or eat when he or she is awake enough. However one should avoid excessive feeding or oily foods until later.

There are many causes for nausea and vomiting after surgery. These could be related to the patients, the anaesthetic or even the type of surgery. Luckily, it doesn’t happen all the time and is only mild in most cases. The anaesthetist will do everything possible to minimize this risk if it is considered likely.

General anaesthesia is a carefully controlled induced coma. The patient is carefully monitored for adequacy of anaesthesia and safety. The chance of someone not waking up after anaesthesia is very remote unless there has been some complication with the anaesthesia or surgery.

Cold usually means upper respiratory tract infection. This is fairly common in children. Provided the children do not feel unwell, we usually proceed with surgery. There are some risks such as coughing and some breathing difficulty but we can often deal with them. However, if your child is unwell with symptoms such as loss of appetite, tiredness or fever, then it may be more than just a simple cold. You will need to consult your family doctor. Flu is a systemic illness that is a lot more serious than a cold. Non-urgent surgery should not proceed.

Having a general anaesthesia is very safe in Australia. Nevertheless risks are always present. Side effects such as sore throat, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, bruising and soreness of IV sites are not uncommon. Fortunately, major risks are rare. These could be severe allergic reaction, life threatening breathing problems or even cardiac arrest.

Paracetamol or ibuprofen or both together would usually be adequate for pain relief after most day surgery. Preparations containing codeine can be used for stronger pain although your child may be more sedated after taking them. If your child has a great deal of pain, you should contact the hospital or your general practitioner.

Most children can go back to school on the following day after uneventful day surgery unless there is pain or other discomfort.

A breathing device of some sort is usually placed in the throat of an anaesthetized patient. This can sometimes cause some throat discomfort. It usually gets better after a couple of days.

Food residue in the stomach can be regurgitated during anaesthesia. If it enters the lungs, significant breathing problems may occur. All patients having anaesthesia and surgery should be fasted adequately so that the stomach is empty. The recommended fasting time is backed up by scientific studies. At Monash Children’s, we follow the widely accepted guidelines. Generally, small infants can have breast milk up to 3 hours and formula milk up to 4 hours before surgery. Older infants and children can have solid food or formula milk up to 6 hours and clear fluid up to 2 hours before surgery. You will receive fasting and other instructions from the hospital before surgery. Because of the way the operating lists are scheduled, some children may be fasting longer than necessary. We usually schedule younger children earlier on the list. Do let the staff know if you have any concern.

Pain management is very well done nowadays. We often use a combination of pain killers and nerve ‘blocks’ to achieve the optimal effect. In fact, most children having surgery would have minimal pain or even pain free when they wake up from their surgery. Strong pain killers and major nerve blocks like epidural can be used for painful surgery. At Monash Children’s, we also provide a 24 hour pain management service.