Pediatric dermatologic procedures performed outside the operating room

Pediatric dermatologic procedures performed outside of the operating room are often painful and frequently require general anesthesia. Laser procedures constitute a relatively small but significant group of the growing number of these encounters. This article reviews relevant dermatological pathophysiology, current treatment modalities and collates currently available evidence to inform the best practice in anesthetic care of these patients.

There is a paucity of recently published data pertaining to this group; most earlier studies were reported in the dermatological literature and may not be familiar to anesthesiologists. One very large study has reported on the safety of various anesthetic techniques in similar out-of-operating room circumstances.

Anesthesiologists are increasingly providing care for children undergoing dermatologic out-of-operating room procedures. Similar general considerations for out-of-operating room anesthesia equally apply to children undergoing these procedures. There are few recently reported data pertaining to this patient population and further work is needed.