Clinical update regarding general anesthesia-associated neurotoxicity in infants and children.

Purpose of review: The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recently released a warning stating that 'repeated or lengthy use of general anesthetic and sedation drugs during surgeries or procedures in children younger than 3 years or in pregnant women during their third trimester may affect the development of children's brains' ( http://ift.tt/2x7Abo0). The goal of this article is to review the most recent clinical studies which provide evidence that these concerns may be overstated for the majority of healthy young children who require surgery and anesthesia. Recent findings: Three large retrospective matched cohort studies published within the past year provide data on a total of 59 814 children exposed to general anesthesia before age 4 (including 30 021

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