CHOC strives to minimize anxiety about anesthetizing children before procedures, Dr. Vivian Tanaka, an anesthesiologist, tells “American Health Journal.”
CHOC anesthesiologists work with child life specialists to help calm fears, and also encourage parents to ask questions, Dr. Tanaka says. Anesthesiologists might also use premedication to ease anxiety and smooth the injection of anesthesia, she adds.
Learn more about children and anesthesia, including common side effects, in “American Health Journal,” a television program that airs on PBS and other national network affiliates that reach more than 30 million households.
Each 30-minute episode features six segments with a diverse range of medical specialists discussing a full spectrum of health topics. For more information, visit www.discoverhealth.tv.
Vivian Tanaka, M.D., attended medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine. She served a transitional internship at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass., and her residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
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