Ambulatory anesthesia and surgery for children

Abstract

Children are . excellent candidates for ambulatory surgery. Most children are healthy and most surgical procedures on children are simple and associated with prompt reccvery. It is not surprising therefore that up to 60% of pediatric surgery in United States are performed on ambulatory basis. (Hannallah RS, 1994).

· Avoiding hospitalization is particularly advantageous for preschool children who benefits from the minimal separation from parents and for infants who are spared the exposure to potentially contaminated hospital environment.

Many recently developed drugs have pharmacological profiles, which are ideally suited for use in ambulatory settings.

Newer anesthetic drugs (e.g. desflurane, sevoflurane, remifentanyl, ropacuronium) and monitoring devices can facilitate fast tracking in the ambulatory setting (white PF & Song D, 1999).

This essay focuses on new drugs & techniques that can provide high quality ambulatory anesthesia care at a reduced cost.