A study in Shanghai shows that general anesthesias lasting more than 3 hours change the IQ of school-aged children for more than 3 months after surgery.
We always wonder what impact a general anesthesia (GA) can have on the brains of children. In fact, everything depends on the age: before 3 years, GA would be associated with an alteration in cerebral development, alterations also found in immature animals. What about older children? A study in Shanghai shows that general anesthesias lasting more than 3 hours change the IQ of school-aged children for more than 3 months after surgery.
This Chinese team from Shanghai studied the impact of GA performed during orthopedic surgery on the intelligence of school children. 209 children aged 6 to 12 were divided into 4 groups according to the duration of general anesthesia, which varied from 1 to more than 3 hours. Their IQ was then measured in a standard way (progressive Raven matrices) before and after the operations.
Alteration 3 months if the anesthesia exceeds 3 hours
Results: IQs are significantly reduced in children who have had anesthesia for more than 3 hours, a decrease which continues for up to 1 month after anesthesia; but everything returns to normal, that is to say to the IQ before the operation, 3 months after the operation.
In addition, the change in IQ is influenced by the duration of exposure to anesthetics at a younger age, but also by the fact that the child is premature, as well as by the level of education of the mother. In fact, the alteration of IQ was noted in 36.2% of children of mothers with a low level of education, in 18.2% of mothers with intermediate level of education and 9.7% of mothers with a high level of education. education.
Researchers conclude that general anesthesias lasting more than 3 hours change the IQ of school-aged children for more than 3 months after orthopedic surgery, especially since the child has been premature and the level of mother’s education is low.
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