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There are many ways of administering medications to children. Administration routes depend on age, size, and the type of procedure the child needs to be anesthetized for. Children can be given medicated lollipops or drinks to relax them, and anesthesia can be induced either via breathing in anesthesia gases and / or by administration of medications through an intravenous IV access. This all sounds unpleasant, but your anesthesiologist has many ways to make this fun and moreso painless for your child. In general, medications given to children are very similar to those used for adults. However, the dosing is different and needs to be exactly titrated to the child’s weight. Certain medications that are readily given to adults will be avoided in children due to known side effects of that medication in children. A very common question asked by parents relates to the likelihood of their child waking up during anesthesia, and it’s a very important question to address. Fortunately, waking up during anesthesia is extremely rare. Many different monitoring systems are in place to alert an anesthesiologist if a patient or child seems to wake up. These monitors are very sensitive and slightest changes will trigger an alarm. More importantly, however, is the fact that there is always an anesthesiologist or anesthesia care provider in the operating room monitoring everything very carefully and at all times, so that this does not happen.
