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General anesthesia for pediatric dermatologic procedures: risks and complications

Bari B Cunningham1, Vishakha Gigler, Kim Wang

  • 1Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego, California 92123, USA. bcunningham@chsd.org

Archives of Dermatology
|May 18, 2005
PubMed

Insights

General anesthesia for pediatric dermatologic procedures is safe, with 90% of patients experiencing no complications. The most common adverse event was nausea and vomiting in 4% of children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Dermatologic Surgery
  • Patient Safety

Background:

  • General anesthesia is frequently used for pediatric dermatologic procedures.
  • Assessing the safety profile of general anesthesia in this population is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety and adverse events associated with general anesthesia in children undergoing elective dermatologic procedures.

Main Methods:

  • A multicenter retrospective review was conducted.
  • Data from 269 children and adolescents (2 months to 18 years) undergoing 881 procedures were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • The overall risk of complications was low, with 90% of patients experiencing no clinically relevant issues.
  • Perioperative nausea and emesis occurred in 4% of patients.
  • No life-threatening events or mortality were recorded.

Conclusions:

  • General anesthesia for dermatologic procedures in children is associated with a low complication rate.
  • The findings support the safety of using general anesthesia in this setting.
Abstract

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