Annales françaises d'anesthèsie et de rèanimation
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Ann Fr Anesth Reanim · Jan 2012
Review[Neurological consequences after long-term sedation in the ICU].
Experiments performed in mammals, including non-human primates, have demonstrated an increase in neuronal death rates normally seen in normal brain development. Such an increase is encountered in diseases but also after exposure of the brain to various class of anaesthetics. In living animals, it can (but not always) result in persistent cognitive impairment. ⋯ Second, it is known for years than anaesthesia before 1 year of age is much riskier than after 1 year, whatever the theorical neurotoxicity is. Third, this enforces the need to develop tools enhancing the precision of anaesthesia as much as possible. Meanwhile, when an infant has undergone numerous general anaesthesias, we strongly recommend a long-time neurological follow-up.