Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Vol 31, S45-S51, Copyright © 1984 by Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society

Fundamentals of Infant Anaesthesia

¹ Department of Anesthesia, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093

Far from being more difficult, infants should be less difficult to anaesthetize. Generally the major organ systems, although not necessarily fully mature, are unsullied by smoking, alcohol consumption, atherosclerosis, assorted other pathology or simple wear and tear. Cardiac output is linked to heart rate and volume replacement, while oxygenation is controlled by lung expansion, FiO₂ and perhaps PEEP. Admittedly, the rewards for poor technique are frightening and sudden, but the goal of this review has been to point out the anticipatory nature of paediatric anaesthesia, such that the actual anaesthetic becomes nearly an anti-climax. The rewards for this approach are usually brief procedures that frequently definitively repair isolated pathology, coupled with a sense of precise accomplishment that makes the planning and number-crunching worthwhile.