ABSTRACT
Traumatic injuries to children are the most common cause of death in the United States for children above 1 year of age; this will account for approximately 20,000 deaths per year. Anesthesiologists have an important role in the perioperative management of pediatric patients with traumatic injuries. This chapter provides a practical review of the anesthesia management of the pediatric trauma patient during all phases of the perioperative period including patient evaluation, emergency airway management, resuscitation, and postoperative pain management. It discusses some principles in the widely accepted Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program, which was developed by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma as well as the resuscitation of the pediatric patient included in the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course created by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association (AHA). Effective postoperative pain control is an essential component of the perioperative anesthetic plan.
