Safety

The greatest concern of most parents whose child is having surgery is the risk of anesthesia. It is important to understand that a pediatric-focused facility such as Cove Surgery Center, where all of the anesthesiologists are board certified with extensive pediatric experience, anesthesia is extremely safe.

Most children at our facility will be given general anesthesia to allow them to sleep comfortably during surgery. The general anesthesia is first delivered as a gas the child breathes through a mask. In this way, no needles are used until the child is already asleep. Anesthesia can also be given intravenously (directly into a vein), which is a more common method for older children and adults. Local anesthetic medication (“numbing medicine”) is also used around the surgical area to minimize any pain after surgery.

During the surgery, the anesthesiologist will continually monitor the your child to ensure they remain comfortable and asleep. When surgery is complete, the anesthesiologist will awaken your child and oversee any pain management.

Many side effects of anesthesia can be anticipated, but not always avoided. These include sore throat, swelling of the airway, trauma to the teeth, nausea and vomiting. Serious complications, however, are extremely rare in the United States. The Society of Pediatric Anesthesia notes the chance of a healthy child sustaining a severe injury as a result of anesthesia is less than the risk of traveling in a car.

To learn more about the effects of anesthetics in children, please see the following links from the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Website:

SmartTots Consensus Statement
SmartTots Consensus Statement Supplement
FAQs - Parents

To learn more about Cove Surgery Center’s pediatric anesthesiologists, please go to Doctors.