title: Respiratory gas monitoring in the pediatric patient.
abstract: Parents of soon-to-be-anesthetized children frequently express concern about their child's safety because they have heard that "anesthesia is the most dangerous part of the operation." Although I don't believe that statement was ever true, it is even less true today. With the development of reliable capnography and volatile agent measurement in infants and children, we have significantly reduced the risks associated with anesthesia. I think we can, and should, confidently reassure parents that the "anesthesia part of the operation" has been made much safer and that the child's breathing (as well as heart beat, temperature, oxygenation, etc.) will be vigilantly monitored by the anesthesiologist using both human senses and the latest in monitoring equipment.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Badgwell
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013147:Spirometry / Q000295:instrumentation
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide