Pediatric anesthesia--guidelines for the nurse anesthetist.

Pediatric anesthesia has developed concurrently with pediatric surgery. Improved surgical techniques plus the introduction of antibiotics as well as greater knowledge of fluid and electrolyte therapy and improved anesthetic drugs and techniques, have recognized that the child is not just a small adult. Among the first to contribute to the development of modern pediatric anesthesia were Digby Leigh and Kathleen Belton of Canada. Their textbook, Pediatric Anesthesia, first published in 1948, is still a classic reference. Today, the names of Robert W. Smith and C. R. Stephen stand out in the field. Because of these men and women, anesthetists have a better understanding of the responses of children to anesthesia along with an availability of specially designed apparatus and methods.