Selection of Anesthesia Techniques for the Neonate

The aim of this chapter is to provide the pediatric anesthesiologist with the main principles and current strategies for neonatal anesthesia. Part one presents the general principles including the aims of anesthesia and the strategies to attain them, the potential for anesthetic toxicity, and, lastly, the notion of optimal risk-benefit ratio. Part two details anesthetic techniques and recent advances in neuroaxial anesthesia, rapid sequence induction technique, and anesthesia for elective surgery.