Pediatric Anesthesia – Recovery

Transcript

Every child is different. Some children wake up crying, but relax once their parents are back with them. Others cry for hours on and off, especially when they’re in pain or restricted in movement. For example, after a broken leg that is fixed and casted, especially smaller children will wake up cranky and crying, but will drift in and out of sleep in the recovery room as anesthesia makes them feel tired. Children, especially the very young, don’t understand what is going on. Hence the crying after anesthesia. Thankfully the presence of their parents can usually console them. Interestingly, children and adults alike can be quite drowsy and confused after anesthesia. The crankiness and crying in children is usually due to the fact that the child doesn’t understand why they feel the way they feel after waking up from anesthesia. Adults are usually more cooperative as they understand why they’re drowsy or in pain.