Anesthesia in childhood: Are there dangers?

This week, The Why Files asks if anesthetics are killing brain cells in children who are exposed during pregnancy or the first three years of life.

New research shows that some common anesthetics rapidly kill brain cells, causing learning and spatial memory problems later on. The same type of programmed cell death in the brain is a key cause of fetal alcohol syndrome. Anesthesiologists are “between a rock and a hard place,” as one of them told The Why Files. Some have tried to discount the new studies, but even some skeptics have already started to change their practices.

For this report, The Why Files talks to experts who have been studying cell death and to anesthesiologists trying to make sense of the new findings.

The Why Files is a Web-based exploration of the science that underpins the news. Its mission is to make science accessible and meaningful. Using current and news events, a new feature is produced each week. Features explore aspects of science that provide greater context and meaning than can be found in traditional news coverage.