General anesthesia safe for infants

Editor's Note

Concerns have been raised about the safety of anesthesia on the developing brains of young children, but new research presented at the Anesthesiology 2015 annual meeting found brief exposure to general anesthesia did not impair neurological development.

Researchers examined 700 infants, up to 60 weeks old, who were undergoing hernia repair in hospitals in seven countries. Half of the patients received general anesthesia and half received regional anesthesia and remained awake. At 2 years of age, children in both groups had similar cognitive scores.

This is the first prospective, randomized, controlled trial to assess the long-term neurological effects of anesthesia in children, the authors say.

SAN DIEGO - Although the medical community has raised concerns about the safety of anesthesia on the developing brains of young children, new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2015 annual meeting, found brief exposure to general anesthesia during infancy did not impair neurological development.