Multiple doses of anesthetics do not compromise brain function in young children, a new study finds.
- In a recent study, New Zealand researchers investigated whether anesthetics impacted the cognition and behavior of children with cystic fibrosis.
- Repeated exposure to general anesthesia in these young patients did not result in functional impairment in attention, IQ, executive functions, or brain structure compared with the group that received less anesthetic.
- “This study should reassure physicians and parents whose children require repeated anesthesia,” the authors said.
“Previous research using young animals has shown potential changes in learning and behavior related to repeated anesthesia, and some work in groups of children has raised concerns about brain changes. However, the long-term effects of early and repeated exposure to anesthetics remain unknown,” said scientists from the University of Auckland (New Zealand). That is why they decided to conduct a study, the results of which were published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
52 children with cystic fibrosis were exposed to anesthetics several times
For the study, the team recruited 97 children under the age of 5 with cystic fibrosis. The young patients were divided into two groups: 52 received repeated bronchoalveolar lavage treatment under general anesthesia, and the other 45 received standard treatment. To assess the impact of exposure to general anesthesia in early childhood, the authors collected mucus samples from the participants. “Fluid was collected from the lungs of one group under anesthesia, while for the other group, throat swabs were used without anesthesia. The different techniques used for mucus extraction had no impact on the cystic fibrosis results,” said Andrew Davidson, co-author of the study. The toddlers also completed a standardized neurobehavioral assessment and a health-related quality of life assessment, as well as a brain MRI between Oct. 8, 2013, and June 30, 2017.
General anesthesia does not impair brain function in toddlers
The results suggested that repeated exposure to general anesthesia in young children with cystic fibrosis was not associated with functional impairment in attention, intelligence quotient, executive functions, or brain structure compared with a group with shorter and fewer cumulative durations of anesthesia. “This study should reassure doctors and parents whose children need repeated anesthesia,” concluded Claire Wainwright, lead author of the research, in a statement.
