Pediatric Ambulatory Surgery

Abstract

Children are often excellent candidates for outpatient surgery since they are generally healthy individuals undergoing brief surgeries with few complications. This chapter focuses on a brief overview of managing an outpatient pediatric anesthesia patient from preoperative to postoperative care. It reviews preoperative fasting guidelines, preoperative anxiolysis and premedication, and parental presence for induction. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for appropriate candidates are outlined, including postconceptual age and apnea concerns. Different types of induction techniques and intraoperative management and monitoring are reviewed. Common postoperative complications such as postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are mentioned. Postoperative discharge criteria and the scales used to evaluate patients are described.