Can Anesthesia Hurt Brain Development?

Some kids who need surgery or a procedure may get general anesthesia. This puts them into a deep sleep so they don't feel pain or move around during the surgery or procedure.

Getting general anesthesia for a short surgery or procedure one time is usually not harmful for a child. But in children younger than 3 years old, getting general anesthesia many times — or getting it for longer than 3 hours — might hurt brain development. And anesthesia given in a woman's third trimester of pregnancy also could harm the brain development of her baby.

What If My Young Child Needs Anesthesia?

Although anesthesia is generally safe in kids, it’s important to talk to your child’s surgeon about the risks. If your child is under 3 years old and needs surgery or a procedure, ask the surgeon:

• Does my child need general anesthesia, or can the surgery be done with spinal anesthesia?Spinal anesthesia is a type of local anesthesia where the doctor puts medicine into the fluid around the spinal cord (cerebral-spinal fluid) to numb the lower part of the body. This type of anesthesia has not been found to harm brain development.
• How long will the surgery last and will more surgeries be needed? Longer and more frequent surgeries increase the risk of general anesthesia harming brain development.
• Is it safe to wait to do the surgery until my child is older? The risks of general anesthesia on brain development go down as a child gets older.

What If I am Pregnant and Need Anesthesia?

Pregnant women in their third trimester who need general anesthesia should ask their health care provider about possible risks to their baby’s development and whether a different type of anesthesia could be used instead.