Anesthetic agents are commonly used for a variety of medical procedures in infants and children, but little is known about their effects on the developing brain. A growing body of data from studies in animals suggests that under certain circumstances, such as prolonged anesthesia, these drugs could adversely affect neurologic, cognitive, and social development of neonates and young children. We believe that these findings should be of concern to the scientific and medical communities.What scared the living you know what out of me, is knowing the increase in GA for dental procedures, that may or may NOT be necessary, and there is little to no information on the effect on a child's developing brain.
Over the past decade, studies in rodents have found that exposure to anesthetic agents during sensitive periods of brain development (i.e., the brain growth spurt) results in widespread neuronal apoptosis and functional deficits later in development. So far, agents that either antagonize N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors or potentiate the neurotransmission of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAergic agents) have been implicated, and no safe doses of these agents or safe durations of administration have been defined.
Read the entire report at the New England Journal of Medicine Website here.
Children are dropping dead left and right from sedation dentistry and now to find out no one knows what the actual effect of GA is on the child's grain, but evidence is growing that GA is NOT a good idea!
Related:
Article at Dr. Bicuspid Is General Anesthesia Safe for Young Brains
