Monitoring During Paediatric Anaesthesia

This chapter describes the essential monitoring which should be practised on all paediatric patients having anaesthesia for routine surgical procedures. The requirements for respiratory, cardiovascular, temperature, neuromuscular and biochemical monitoring and the necessary relationship of these with clinical monitoring are discussed. The differences between adult and infant patients are emphasized. Some of the more complex newer techniques which have not yet found their way into everyday clinical practice are not considered. Monitoring assists the anaesthetist in fulfilling two essential requirements, the return of the patient from the operative period in the optimum condition and the prevention of those technological hazards inherent in any general anaesthetic that can result in the death of the patient, or serious damage before full recovery has occurred. There is no evidence to suggest that the more complex monitoring prevents the latter. The requirement is relatively simple monitoring conscientiously applied, and continuing attention and vigilance on the part of the anaesthetist.