Anaesthesia for paediatric patients: Minimising the risk

Abstract

Advances in paediatric anaesthesia include the availability of dedicated facilities with appropriate equipment, monitoring and specialised personnel trained in paediatric anaesthesia and resuscitation. These developments have contributed to the reduction in perioperative risk for paediatric patients. However, access to all the resources available in dedicated paediatric facilities is limited in resource-constrained settings. The objective of this review is to provide guidance with regard to the selection of suitable facilities for perioperative care, risk stratification and patient selection, safe selection of medication and standardisation of its use, and implementation of specific anaesthetic techniques that can minimise risk in the paediatric surgical population.