When parents learn that their baby has a certain disease that requires surgical treatment, they are often first concerned about whether anesthesia will affect their baby. Is anesthesia really that scary? The biggest difference between young children and adults is the lack of self-control. When a baby leaves his parents and enters an unfamiliar environment (operating room), he often becomes anxious and fearful. If local anesthesia is applied only in the surgical area, even if there is no obvious pain in the surgical area, the baby will not be able to cooperate with the surgery because of anxiety and fear. At the same time, young children are prone to airway obstruction or respiratory depression during anesthesia. The first principle of pediatric anesthesia is to choose anesthesia that can keep the airway open and facilitate breathing control. General anesthesia with the insertion of a tracheal tube or laryngeal mask provides a controlled delivery of oxygen to the airway that cannot be replaced by other anesthesia methods and is a guarantee of successful completion of the procedure. If your baby undergoes surgical treatment at a specialized children’s hospital, the attending physician will assess the basic condition of your baby’s heart and lung function before the operation. If some conditions are found that are not suitable for anesthesia, you will be advised to reschedule the anesthesia and surgical treatment as long as the condition is not critical. The anesthesiologist specializing in children will choose the safest anesthesia for the baby, taking into account many factors such as the type of surgery, the approximate length of the surgery, the site of the surgery and the clinical skills of the surgeon, in order to cooperate with the surgeon to complete the surgery successfully. What issues should babies pay attention to before and after anesthesia? 1.Before the anesthesia surgery, the anesthesiologist will evaluate the baby’s physical condition, mainly to understand: (1) the baby’s basic medical history: whether there is premature birth, intrauterine hypoxia history; (2) whether there are any basic diseases, such as heart disease, asthma, epilepsy, etc., which require long-term medication; (3) whether there is a history of drug and food allergies; (4) whether there are loose and detachable teeth, to avoid choking caused by falling into the airway under anesthesia (4) the presence of loose teeth that can fall into the airway under anesthesia to avoid choking. (5) Whether the fasting time before surgery is sufficient to avoid vomiting and aspiration of stomach contents into the airway under anesthesia, which may cause asphyxia. (6) Whether there is infection in the respiratory tract to avoid excessive airway secretions that block the airway and affect the oxygen input. (7) The presence of fever, systemic infection, dehydration, electrolyte disorders, etc. The above cases need to be strictly controlled for non-emergency surgical babies, and it is not recommended to perform anesthesia and surgery when the baby’s basic condition is poor. 2.After the anesthesia and surgery, the baby will be transferred from the operating room to the anesthesia wake-up room, where the baby’s vital signs will continue to be monitored until the baby’s vital indicators are stable and he/she recovers and is transferred back to the ward. When the baby returns to the ward, he/she should lie flat with the pillow removed. During the awakening phase, the baby may be crying, irritable or agitated; nausea and vomiting are the most common phenomena and parents need to pay close attention to them and turn the baby’s head to one side to avoid backflow of vomit by aspiration. Do not rush to feed, which may aggravate vomiting and cause choking. Also, some surgeries such as gastrointestinal surgery require a controlled diet after surgery, and the surgeon should be consulted about the timing and type of food to be eaten. For post-surgical pain, antipyretic and analgesic drugs can relieve some of the post-operative pain in babies. The surgeon and anesthesiologist can also be consulted about the suitability of analgesic pumps for postoperative analgesia. All clinical treatment measures (including anesthesia) inherently contain a certain amount of risk, which is an objective reflection of the high-risk nature of medical activities. If a child has a surgical condition that requires surgical treatment, anesthesia is unavoidable. The anesthesiologists at the Children’s Hospital will provide the child with professional and standardized anesthesia measures to facilitate the successful implementation of surgery. Parents need to understand that anesthesia itself does not cause harm to the child, just as injections and medications are necessary to treat the disease, but only abnormal reactions during the treatment may cause harm to the child’s organism. Depending on the urgency of the disease, choosing an appropriate time and selecting a professional hospital will allow your baby to have anesthesia administered and the procedure completed successfully.