Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/How We Do It/What’s the Difference Between Sedation and General Anesthesia?

What’s the Difference Between Sedation and General Anesthesia?

What’s the Difference Between Sedation and General Anesthesia?
January 14, 2015
2 Comments
By: Tony Dandino

As many of you know, motion in pictures can cause blurriness and shadowing, which sacrifices the clarity of the photographs. Much like trying to capture a fast-paced football game or a squirming baby, it can be hard for us at Cincinnati Children’s to obtain quality pictures while your child is awake and moving. With younger children, it’s even harder for them to understand the concept of holding completely still. Luckily, we have the options of general anesthesia (GA) or sedation.

There are a lot of similarities between sedation and GA and the preparations associated with them, but the criteria for each have a few differences as well.

Both: Both require a pre-evaluation from our anesthesia staff to ensure that your child is healthy enough and that the medication is appropriate for him or her. During this evaluation, we review your child’s medical and surgical history and perform a physical exam. All of this information is communicated to the  anesthesiologist for approval. Dieting restrictions for both are exactly the same and are explained in detail prior to the imaging appointment. The overall effects of the medications typically wear off within 8-24 hours.

Sedation: Sedation is administered and monitored by a registered nurse and overseen by our anesthesiologists. It is considered a “lighter sleep,” meaning your child is asleep, but can still be stimulated by touch, light, or sound. This form of medication is used for procedures that take an hour or less and for children weighing 60 pounds or less. Generally this option is only utilized for children without complex medical histories and for non-invasive procedures. Sedation can be administered orally or through the placement of an IV. The anesthesiologist determines the appropriate method (oral or IV) after the initial assessment of your child.

15_Anesthesia_Sedation

General Anesthesia: GA is administered by a certified registered nurse anesthetist or an anesthesiologist. It is considered to be a “deeper sleep,” meaning it is more difficult to stimulate your child, allowing us to do longer, more invasive procedures without waking them. Typically we use this method for older patients who weigh more than 60 pounds and patients with more complex medical histories. GA can be administered through mask inhalation from an anesthesia machine and/or IV medication. Ultimately, the anesthesiologist decides which method will be used based on his or her medical opinion and your child’s needs.

10_WS15_tm5583_cc_blog20150114

Finally, there is always the option to attempt the scans without any sedation or general anesthesia. Child Life Specialists can be available to assist with any non-sedate attempts and exams can be rescheduled if the no-medication route does not work.

Contributed by Kelly Dunn (RN) and edited by Tony Dandino.

Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Related Articles

<strong>Prediction of Fontan Outcomes Using T2-Weighted MRI Radiomic Features and Machine Learning</strong> 
Prediction of Fontan Outcomes Using T2-Weighted MRI Radiomic Features and Machine Learning 
<strong>How Does Radiology Share Your Images?</strong>
How Does Radiology Share Your Images?
Radiologic Technologist Programs
Radiologic Technologist Programs
<strong>MRI’s Role in Your Child’s Proton Therapy</strong> 
MRI’s Role in Your Child’s Proton Therapy 
TAGS:
  • administered inhalation or IV medication
  • Anesthesia
  • anesthesiologist
  • child life
  • general anesthesia
  • IV
  • MRI
  • radiology
  • registered nurse
  • sedation
Avatar photo

About the author: Tony Dandino

Tony is an MRI Technologist at Cincinnati Children’s. Tony has been in his role for several years and serves as a Charge Tech, Quality Improvement Coach and Safety Coach for the MRI department. Tony has always known he wanted to work with children and in the medical field. Working at Cincinnati Children's has been the best of both worlds. Every day is something new and Tony can never wait to start the next adventure.

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

Brad Ragan January 4, 2016 at 4:22 pm

I just had a bone marrow biopsy and the pain was unbelievable…. In fact my right leg went numb and after screaming I stopped the test. Now they want to do it again under sedation. Friends tell me I should have general anesthetic. Would sedation be enough to prevent all that pain. What do you recommend?

Thank you.

Brad Ragan

    Avatar photo
    Alex Towbin January 7, 2016 at 9:57 pm

    Hi Mr Ragan,
    I am sorry to hear that your bone marrow biopsy was so painful. The choice to use sedation or general anesthesia is one best discussed with your doctors. There are several different types of sedation that your doctors may use. The answer to your question of if you would feel the biopsy with sedation depends on the type of medicines your doctors use. In many cases, the sedation will lessen the pain but not remove it entirely.

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • How We Do It
  • Learning and Growing
  • Meet The Team
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Stories
  • Pin of the Week
  • Radiology
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What Makes Us Different
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up to get new blog updates delivered to your email.

Popular Posts

  • 6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain 1.8k views
  • Caring for the Caregivers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease  1k views
  • Stuttering In Young Kids: When To Be Concerned 832 views
  • 4 Questions to Ask When Your Child Has Recurrent Croup 591 views
  • Would You Pass This Pesticide Safety Quiz? 504 views
  • Laryngomalacia: Is My Child’s Noisy Breathing Serious? 490 views
About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2022 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center