Pediatric Anesthesiology

Pediatric anesthesiologists provide several types of anesthesia, including:

• General anesthesia. This type of anesthesia puts children to sleep during surgery so they don’t feel discomfort or remember the operation. Anesthesiologists can give general anesthesia through a mask or in a vein. Some patients receive another type of medicine called sedation to help them relax.
• Regional anesthesia. An effective pain management technique, regional anesthesia numbs an area of the body by injection. Many patients receive both general and regional anesthesia.
• Local anesthesia. With this type of anesthesia, a shot or spray numbs a specific area of the body, allowing patients to stay alert during procedures.

Most patients who have surgery in children’s hospitals or medical centers like Ochsner Children’s Hospital receive general or regional anesthesia or both, depending on the type of surgery. For minor, office-based procedures, children may receive local anesthesia.

The Ochsner Children's pediatric anesthesiology team works with doctors across many Ochsner service lines and departments and in settings ranging from the neonatal intensive care unit to the operating room. In short, whenever and wherever a child needs surgery, our team is there.

Pediatric anesthesiologists assist with surgeries to treat both routine and complex medical conditions, from broken bones to congenital heart disease. Ochsner Children's also provide anesthesia to children who need imaging such as MRIs and CT scans and those receiving radiation therapy or surgery for cancer.

Your child’s surgeon will provide preoperative instructions, which may involve fasting to help your child stay safe while receiving anesthesia. Be sure your child follows these instructions closely.

On the day of surgery, you and your child will meet with a nurse for a preoperative evaluation. A Certified Child Life Specialist may also be present to help explain the process and put you and your child at ease. Next, the pediatric anesthesiologist will go over your child’s medical history and explain the anesthesia plan in detail.

The anesthesiologist will monitor your child throughout the procedure and then check on them in the post-anesthesia care unit before discharge. You’ll reunite with your child in the postoperative area. Your child may feel groggy or sick to their stomach as the anesthesia wears off. Unless additional care or observation is needed, your child will get to go home once they’re fully alert.

Pediatric anesthesiology takes teamwork. At Ochsner Children's, our pediatric anesthesiologists lead the team, but your child most likely will also receive care from either an anesthesiology resident physician or a nurse anesthetist, who are doctors training in anesthesiology. The team also includes nurse anesthetists, or nurses who help give anesthesia.

Pediatric anesthesiologists and other members of the anesthesiology team are part of another team: the surgical team. Ochsner Children’s Hospital is home to a comprehensive range of pediatric subspecialists, and the pediatric anesthesiology team partners with many of these doctors to keep children safe and comfortable during surgery.

In most cases, anesthesia is extremely safe for children. Like many forms of medical care, however, anesthesia carries certain risks. Your anesthesiologist and surgeon will discuss these risks with you prior to your child’s procedure.

Use honest, age-appropriate language to explain why a procedure is necessary and the role anesthesia will play in keeping your child comfortable. Assure your child that members of the care team, including the anesthesiologist, will be with them every step of the way.

Yes. Fasting reduces the risk of fluid from the stomach entering the lungs during surgery. Be sure your child follows the surgeon’s fasting instructions.