“Can general anesthesia harm my young child?”
My 3 year old daughter needs a procedure on her right lung. Is she too young for general anesthesia? Can it harm her brain or growing process in any way?
3 Answers
There are some risks associated with general anesthesia in young children. But if the child needs the surgery, then go ahead and trust your anesthesiologist.
Discuss with anesthesiologist.
The bottom line is that nobody knows for sure. Evidence would suggest that a single short exposure at age three is unlikely to cause noticeable harm. That being said, I would never have my child undergo anesthesia and surgery unless it was truly necessary.
