PAEDIATRIC ANAESTHESIA AND CRITICAL CARE / SPECIAL ARTICLE
The consensus statement of the Section of Paediatric Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy of the Polish Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy on anaesthesia in children under 3 years of age
1
Department and Clinic of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Wrocław Medical University, Poland
2
Department of Paediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Hospital in Wrocław, Poland
3
Department of Paediatric Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland
4
Department of Paediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
5
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Poland
6
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Children’s Hospital of Kraków, Poland
7
Department of Paediatric Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Ludwik Rydygier Provincial Polyclinic Hospital in Toruń, Poland
8
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Upper Silesian Child Health Centre, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
9
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Children’s Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
10
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Poland
11
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Childrens’ Hospital, Lublin, Poland
12
Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Therapy ”B”, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital, Łódź, Poland
13
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Medical University of Łódź, Poland
14
Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Clinical Provincial Hospital No. 2 in Rzeszów, Poland
15
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care for Children and Adolescents with Postoperative and Pain Treatment Unit, Medical University of Białystok, Poland
Submission date: 2025-01-30
Final revision date: 2025-04-25
Acceptance date: 2025-08-12
Publication date: 2025-10-19
Corresponding author
Marzena Zielińska
Department and Clinic of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Wrocław Medical University, Poland
Department and Clinic of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Wrocław Medical University, Poland
Anaesthesiol Intensive Ther 2025;57(1):276-303
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The anaesthesia of a young child under 3 years of age is a challenge for every anaesthetist. The peculiarities of this group of patients, particularly neonates and infants, resulting primarily from differences in both physiology, anatomy and the immaturity of individual organs which translate into different pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the drugs used in anaesthesiology, underlie the significantly more frequently recorded critical events during anaesthesia compared with the adult patient population.
Concerned about the safety of children undergoing anaesthesia and aiming to ensure the highest possible quality and uniform standard of anaesthetic services, the Expert Panel of the Section of Paediatric Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care has prepared a Section position paper on anaesthesia in children under 3 years of age.
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