Dra. Angélica Paulos 

General anesthesia achieves reversible analgesia, unconsciousness, amnesia, and muscle relaxation, allowing a child to be operated without pain. One option to start anesthesia in children is inhalation of gases (sevofluorane) through a mask. This is a frequent method in pediatric anesthesia since it avoids having to prick children when they are awake to find a venous line. After they are sleep the vein line is search and other drugs are used. After anesthetic induction, an endotracheal tube or other airway system is placed so that the child breathe with the support of the anesthesia machine. The decision of the type of anesthesia to use is made by the anesthetist and depends on many factors such as patient characteristics, family history and type of surgery. Generally local anesthetics are placed in the surgical wound or in the area adjacent to it and in conjunction with intravenous drugs allows children to have no pain in the immediate postoperative period.