The Department of Pediatric Anesthesiology provides general or conduction anesthesia for surgical, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for inpatients and outpatients. The department also has an acute pain service where staff provides ongoing epidural narcotics, local anesthetics and supervision of patient-controlled analgesia for immediate postoperative pain management.
Staff also are available for consultations concerning procedures related to anesthesia and sedation and acute and chronic pain, as well as those related to management of seriously ill infants and children.
The Importance of Pediatric Anesthesiologists
As with major surgeries, minor surgeries require anesthesia. "Going to sleep" is often the scariest part of surgery for kids. Making sure that this is done safely and that they wake up is the job of our anesthesiologists. That's why Children's Hospital offers only anesthesiologists that specialize in pediatrics. Children respond differently to medications than adults, and no one is better trained to deal with kids — both medically and emotionally — than our anesthesiologists. With their flavored masks, bedside manner and pediatric expertise, our anesthesiologists make kids and parents alike breathe easier.
Research and Clinical Studies
As a nationally recognized research center, UPMC Children’s Hospital’s Anesthesiology participates in the latest clinical studies, which involve human volunteers and are intended to add to our medical understanding.
