What to Expect Before, During, and After Anesthesia

Overview

What Happens When a Child Needs Anesthesia?

Anesthesia is a type of medicine given during surgery to numb the body so that a person doesn’t feel any pain. 

If your child needs anesthesia for a procedure or surgery, you probably have a lot of questions. Here’s what to expect before, during, and after getting anesthesia. 

Top Things to Know

• Before your child gets anesthesia, you’ll be asked questions about your child’s health history, and your doctor will tell you how to prepare for the operation.
• During anesthesia, your child won’t feel any pain and may be completely unconscious (or asleep).
• After anesthesia, your child will need time to recover and may feel a little sore. 
• Most children do well with anesthesia and don’t have any complications.

What Are the Types of Anesthesia?

The anesthesia used depends on the procedure or surgery being done. It also depends on the child’s age and medical conditions (if any). The types of anesthesia are:

• General — a child is unconscious ("asleep").
• Regional — one large area of the body is numbed.
• Local — one small area of the body is numbed.

General and regional anesthesia are used in hospitals and surgery centers. These medicines are given to patients by specially trained doctors (anesthesiologists) or nurses (nurse anesthetists). Health care providers can give patients local anesthesia in doctors’ offices and clinics. Sometimes, a patient gets a combination of different types of anesthesia.

Getting Anesthesia

What Happens Before Anesthesia?

Before your child gets any kind of anesthesia, you’ll meet with the doctor or nurse. To help them decide what kind of anesthesia to use, they’ll ask about your child’s:

• medical history
• medicines
• drug or alcohol use
• allergies

They will also ask if anyone in the family has ever had a problem with anesthesia. It’s important to answer these questions as best as you can.

The doctor or nurse will examine your child and may order some tests (such as X-rays or blood or lab tests).

Getting Ready

The doctor or nurse will tell you when your child should stop eating or drinking before getting anesthesia. Your child might also need to stop taking medicines. It can be hard for kids to not eat or drink when they want to, but it’s important to follow the instructions exactly. If kids eat or drink too close to the time of the anesthetic, food or drink in the stomach could be inhaled into the lungs and cause serious problems. Do encourage your child to drink clear fluids up until the cutoff time, though.

What Happens During Anesthesia?

What happens during anesthesia depends on what type is used:

General Anesthesia

Patients who get general anesthesia are completely unconscious (or "asleep"). They can’t feel any pain, are not aware of the surgery as it happens, and don’t remember anything from when they were “asleep.” Patients can get general anesthesia through an IV (into a vein) or inhale it through their nose and mouth. A tube is placed in the throat to help the person breathe while under general anesthesia.

Regional Anesthesia

This type of anesthesia may be injected near a cluster of nerves in the spine. This makes a large area of the body numb so that kids are unable to feel pain. Common types of regional anesthesia include:

• Epidurals — are often used in childbirth.
• Spinal blocks — are a type of regional anesthesia used for babies who need quick surgical procedures below the belly button like a circumcision or hernia repair. This may be a safer alternative to general anesthesia for infants, as it carries fewer risks.
• Peripheral nerve blocks — are when the medicine is injected near a nerve or group of nerves to block feelings of pain in a specific area of the body.

The anesthesiologist and surgeon will decide which type of regional anesthesia is best for your child.

Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia numbs a small part of the body (for example, a hand or patch of skin). It can be given as a shot, spray, or ointment. It may be used for dental work, stitches, or to lessen the pain of getting a needle.

Before giving a child anesthesia, doctors and nurses will work with your child to ease any fears. Your child will be regularly monitored to ensure comfort and safety regardless of the type of anesthesia being used.

What Happens After Anesthesia?

Children need time to recover after anesthesia. 

After local and regional anesthesia, the numb area will slowly start to regain sensation again. Your child may then start to feel some discomfort there. Depending on the procedure and whether sedation was used, your child might be able to go home within a few hours.

Kids who have general anesthesia go to the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) after their procedure or surgery. In the PACU, doctors and nurses watch kids very closely as they wake up. Parents can usually join their child in the PACU. Expect your child to be sleepy for an hour or so. Some kids feel sick to the stomach, irritable, or confused when waking up. They may have a dry throat from the breathing tube. 

After your child is fully awake and any pain is controlled, you’ll be able to leave the PACU. Some kids go home that same day and others stay in the hospital. Most hospitals let a parent stay with the child in the hospital.

Going Home

Your care team will talk to you before you take your child home. They will let you know when to follow up with your health care provider, what pain medicines to give (if any), and what to watch out for.

Call your health care provider if your child:

• has bleeding, redness, or pus where the procedure was done
• has a fever higher than 101°F (38.3°C)
• has pain that is not helped by the prescribed medicines or has severe pain
• can't take fluids by mouth
• is vomiting

How Can Parents Help?

Anesthesia is usually very safe, and most kids have no problems with it. Some studies say that general anesthesia or being sedated for a long time in children under 3 years old can lead to changes in brain development, but research is ongoing. Talk with your health care provider if your child is younger than 3 and you have concerns about getting anesthesia. 

Other questions you may want to ask:

• What kind of anesthesia will my child get? Will my child need breathing support?
• How will the anesthesia be given — with a needle, through an IV, mask, or breathing tube?
• Will my child be sedated before getting the anesthesia?
• How long will the surgery take?
• Can I be with my child before surgery? When do I have to leave?
• How long will it take my child to fully wake up from general anesthesia or feel the area if local or regional anesthesia was used?
• How soon after the surgery can I see my child?
• How soon after the surgery can my child eat, drink, go to school, or drive (if you have a teen)?
• How soon after the surgery can my child come home?

Knowing what to expect and having your questions answered before the procedure or surgery will help you and your child feel more comfortable.