The Risks of Anesthetic Neurotoxicity in Infants and Children

In December 2012, SmartTots released its first Consensus Statement on the Use of Anesthetics and Sedatives in Children. Its purpose was to provide guidance to health care providers and parents with regard to research findings that suggest anesthetics may be harmful to the developing brain.

SmartTots has now updated the statement in light of recent research. The results of these research studies demonstrate that exposure to some anesthetics and sedatives can cause memory and learning difficulties and other harmful changes in the central nervous systems of some laboratory animals.

Studies in humans have been less clear, but some studies have suggested that there may also be adverse effects on behavior, learning and memory when children under 4 years of age have prolonged or repeated exposures to anesthesia and surgery.

To date, there is no direct evidence that anesthetics are unsafe for children but more research is needed.

Listen as Julie Drobish, MD discusses Anesthetic Neurotoxicity in Infants and Children.