Quality and safe anesthesia for all children : That is their right!

Anaesthesist. 2022 Mar 28. doi: 10.1007/s00101-022-01111-0. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTIn 1989 the United Nations passed the "United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child" (UNCRC) and, among others, demanded the highest attainable standard of health for children. Safe Anesthesia for Every Tot (SAFETOTS, www.safetots.org ), an association of internationally active pediatric anesthetists, has derived 10 rights, the 10 R's, which are of essential importance for the pediatric anesthetic practice. The first right (R1) postulates: "Children have the right to enjoy the highest possible standard of health. Children below the age of three years in particular should be treated by experienced anesthesiologists with profound and continuous training and regular activity in pediatric anesthesia. Children with significant comorbidities and those who need highly specialized or major interventions benefit from specialized pediatric anesthesia in pediatric centers". The current situation in pediatric anesthesia care in Germany, Austria and Switzerland does not always meet the requirements demanded by the UNCRC. Anesthesia-related complications are approximately 10 times more frequent in children than in adults. In contrast to adults, children who are injured during anesthesia are often healthy. Severe complications in pediatric anesthesia have a mortality that is several times higher than in adult anesthesia. There are hardly any statistics on this for German-speaking countries but ...
Source: Der Anaesthesist - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Source Type: research