According to Raafat S. Hannahllah, MD, professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics at The George Washington University Medical Center, the key to success of pediatric ambulatory surgery lies in careful selection, screening and preparation of prospective patients. Physicians should consider a child’s physical status, the type of surgery, the type of facility and the ability of staff to deal with complications.
He added that general inhaled anesthetics are most popular for younger patients.
Kathryn E. McGoldrick, MD, professor and chair of anesthesiology at New York Medical College, said anesthesiologists are increasingly asked to care for older patients in the ambulatory setting. Appropriate reductions in drug dosage must be made for geriatric patients, and anesthesiologists should pay careful attention to proper selection and titration of drugs, she said.
She added that postoperative analgesia is vitally important because of the association of pain with the development of postoperative delirium in the elderly.
Read the SAMBA report on very old and very young ASC patients.
Read more on anesthesia:
–Maryland Anesthesiologist Arrested for Alleged Narcotic Distribution
–SAMBA Releases Recommendation on Treatment of Diabetic Patients in ASCs
–FDA Accepts Drug Application for Postsurgical Pain Management
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