Monkey in the Middle: Translational Studies of Pediatric Anesthetic Exposure.

Abstract

P reclinical animal studies have resulted in retrospective and prospective studies in humans regarding the safety of pediatric anesthesia. The possibility of adverse neurocognitive outcomes associated with repeated or prolonged pediatric anesthesia is worrisome. The latest investigation by Coleman et al also investigates the impact of exposure to general anesthesia in infancy on neurobehavioral development in nonhuman primates. This is a translationally relevant model as the stage of brain development at birth of a rhesus monkey is similar to that of a 6-month-old human infant. Also, physiologicmonitoring and support are more viable in the case of an infant monkey rather than with an infant rodent. Hence, the study by Coleman et al provides