Pediatric anesthesiologists spare kids – and parents – from pain
To a child, pain is a booster shot that's quickly healed by a cherry lollipop. Or, a scraped elbow that's easily fixed by a mother's kiss. But what happens when your child needs surgery? Who will take away the pain when a lollipop or kiss just won't do?
What is pediatric anesthesiology?
A parent's fear
Preparation is key
During the procedure
For more information
What is pediatric anesthesiology?
Most likely, it will be a pediatric anesthesiologist, a physician who's trained to "make children sleepy" for surgery. Pediatric anesthesiologists employ many of the same methods for controlling surgical pain as an adult anesthesiologist. But their training includes an additional six months to a year of working just with kids. Through this, pediatric anesthesiologists also learn how to address the fears of both children and their parents.
At Virtua, pediatric anesthesiologists are an integral part of the pediatric surgical team, and they're available round-the-clock. From pre-operation to post-operation, these physicians do everything they can to deliver safe anesthesia to children.
A parent's fear
"When my 5-year-old son Kevin needed to have his tonsils removed, I was very concerned about the anesthesia," states Mary Carey of Voorhees. She also was worried about its side effects. Carey went right to the person she knew would give her all the facts - her sister, Dee Foster, RN, Virtua Health surgical nurse. Foster assured her sister that anesthesia was very safe. But to put her sister's fears at ease, she introduced her to Virtua Health pediatric anesthesiologist,
Marc Platt, MD.
"Parents are always more scared of surgery than children, so we spend a lot of time discussing their concerns," states Dr. Platt. He reassures parents that anesthesia is remarkably safe: "Thanks to advances in technology and physician training, anesthesia is safer today than ever." Normal side effects are mild and may include nausea or vomiting and grogginess.
Preparation is key
Either the day of surgery, or a few days before if necessary, the pediatric anesthesiologist meets with both the patient and parents to discuss the child's medical history and to let everyone know what to expect. Dr. Platt adds: "Most importantly, we ask parents about the child's behaviors and needs and then determine the best anesthetic approach." Next, the pediatric anesthesiologist begins to induce the child, or make him or her drowsy, with oral sedation or anesthetic gas.
The type and length of surgery help determine the method for controlling surgical pain. Local anesthetics numb small areas and regional anesthetics numb larger areas. General and IV (intravenous) anesthetics put the child in an unconscious state so there is no pain or memory of the procedure. "Safety is our number one goal, but we also want to make the child comfortable," states Dr. Herlich.
During the procedure
During the procedure, the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist monitors the child's breathing, body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate and maintains anesthesia. After surgery, the child's breathing, level of consciousness and pain are monitored until the child feels "back to normal."
For Carey, relief came when Kevin came out of surgery: "You would never have known he even had his tonsils out. Within a few hours, he was eating macaroni and cheese and felt great."
For more information
For a fact sheet,
Why do I have pain, written just for kids, call 1-888-Virtua-3 (1-888-847-8823) or go to
www.virtua.org/kidshealth.