The largest study to date found no link between prenatal anesthesia and impaired neurodevelopmental development in children

A new study published in Anesthesiology (Journal of the Society of Anesthesiologists) found no link
between prenatal exposure to anesthesia and subsequent neurodevelopmental impairment in children.
The project, led by Professor Steffen Rex and a team from the Department of Anaesthesiology at the University of Leuven, Belgium, is the most extensive research
on the subject to date.

While surgery and anesthesia are usually avoided during pregnancy, up to 1% of pregnant women require anesthesia for problems unrelated to pregnancy, such as emergency abdominal surgery
for appendicitis.

Analysis of animal studies suggests that general anesthesia during pregnancy can cause fetal brain damage and impair learning and memory
.
However, it is unclear whether this evidence applies to humans
.
Despite these restrictions, the U.
S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning in 2016 that repeated or prolonged use of general anesthesia by pregnant women in the third trimester of pregnancy could lead to impaired
neurodevelopment in children exposed to general anesthesia.

The new study identified children who received anesthesia in utero while their mothers underwent nonobstetric procedures and compared
their neurodevelopmental outcomes to children whose mothers did not receive anesthesia during pregnancy.
A comprehensive assessment
of neurodevelopmental outcomes using a range of standardized tools.
This includes an assessment
of the process of controlling behavior, psychosocial problems, learning disabilities, and any psychiatric diagnosis.
More than 500 children aged 2-18 years were assessed
.
Crucially, the mothers of these children received anesthesia with modern drugs and techniques, ensuring the relevance
of the findings to clinicians and patients.

After adjusting for any differences between the two groups at baseline using statistical methods, the researchers found no statistically significant differences
in any measurements between the contact and non-contact groups.
The authors emphasize that the effects of anesthesia are comparable to those of other relevant factors, including the parent's education level and the mother's age
at birth.

The authors concluded that antenatal anesthesia exposure during pregnancy was not associated
with clinically meaningful impairment of neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring.
They emphasize that in their study, all surgeries performed on pregnant women cannot be postponed until after
delivery.
For example, delayed treatment of appendicitis may lead to miscarriage or maternal sepsis
.
The authors said, "While our findings do not change the recommendation that only urgent and necessary surgical procedures should be performed during pregnancy, our findings can be used to provide comfort
to women who do need surgery during pregnancy.
" ”