Children enrolled in a state Medicaid program who had surgery when they were younger than 3 years old were 60 percent more likely to subsequently be diagnosed with development and behavioral disorders than a similar group of siblings who did not undergo surgery, according to a study published in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
The study, titled "Early Childhood Exposure to Anesthesia and Risk of Developmental and Behavioral Disorders in a Sibling Birth Cohort," constructed a retrospective cohort of 10,450 siblings who were born between 1999 and 2005 and enrolled in the New York State Medicaid program. Of the children, 304 had no history of developmental or behavioral disorders and underwent surgery at younger than 3 years, and 10,146 did not receive any surgical procedures at younger than 3 years.
Both types of children were followed until diagnosis with a developmental or behavioral disorder, loss of follow-up or the end of 2005. The study found that children who had surgery when they were younger than three were 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with developmental or behavioral disorders before the program ended.
The study concluded that more analysis is needed to determine whether the excess risk is attributable to anesthesia or mediated by unmeasured factors.
Read the Anesthesia & Analgesia report on anesthesia and development.
Read more on anesthesia:
-Somnia Issues Statement Defining Accountable Anesthesia Organization Model
-Proposed Bill Would Let Rural Hospitals Spend Part A Funds on Anesthesiologist Care
-Study: Preoperative Frailty in Older Surgical Patients Linked to Postoperative Delirium
The study, titled "Early Childhood Exposure to Anesthesia and Risk of Developmental and Behavioral Disorders in a Sibling Birth Cohort," constructed a retrospective cohort of 10,450 siblings who were born between 1999 and 2005 and enrolled in the New York State Medicaid program. Of the children, 304 had no history of developmental or behavioral disorders and underwent surgery at younger than 3 years, and 10,146 did not receive any surgical procedures at younger than 3 years.
Both types of children were followed until diagnosis with a developmental or behavioral disorder, loss of follow-up or the end of 2005. The study found that children who had surgery when they were younger than three were 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with developmental or behavioral disorders before the program ended.
The study concluded that more analysis is needed to determine whether the excess risk is attributable to anesthesia or mediated by unmeasured factors.
Read the Anesthesia & Analgesia report on anesthesia and development.
Read more on anesthesia:
-Somnia Issues Statement Defining Accountable Anesthesia Organization Model
-Proposed Bill Would Let Rural Hospitals Spend Part A Funds on Anesthesiologist Care
-Study: Preoperative Frailty in Older Surgical Patients Linked to Postoperative Delirium