Monitoring the neonate: Basic science

Abstract

The role of the anesthesiologist is to modify consciousness, pain perception, and memory as well as to protect organ function during surgical procedures and critical illness. In order to fulfill this role, we gather information from bedside patient monitors and use this information to make clinical decisions. Monitoring the neonate poses special challenges because of the rapid physiological changes in the first few days of life, poorly defined measures of consciousness, and the physical limitations of small size relative to the size of the monitoring devices. The circumstances that bring a neonate for a surgical procedure involve life- or major organ system-threatening conditions. As a consequence, protection of organ function becomes a major focus