Awareness during general anesthesia in children

Abstract

Awareness that occurs under general anesthesia is an infrequent event that may have serious, long-term sequelae. Associated recall of intra-operative events may cause adverse psychologic consequences, including signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Awareness under anesthesia may be especially difficult to diagnose in children, and its incidence in this population is likely to be under-appreciated. This review will include predisposing factors, methods of diagnosis, and principles of prevention of awareness in children undergoing general anesthesia.