Anaesthesia

Anaesthesia is needed very commonly in children.

Boy and girl playing with syringes and anaesthesia mask.

This means that the child is fully asleep, unconscious, and receives pain relief during a procedure that they may find distressing or painful. The choice of anaesthesia is based on the age of the child, type of operation, and the condition of the child. Anaesthesia can be given either by injection into a vein, or as a gas that the child breathes in from a mask. Anaesthesia is then kept going by the gas, medication in the blood, and various methods of pain relief.