Distraction Anesthesia for Pediatric Dermatology Procedures

Minor dermatologic surgery procedures performed on pediatric patients pose significant challenges not apparent in adult patients. Most pediatric patients are frightened when they enter the doctor’s office, especially if they are expecting a painful procedure. Studies have shown that it is imperative to provide a workflow that is tailored to the child’s needs, such as providing a comfortable ambiance and having an understanding of child development appropriate for a particular age group (1,2). The power of the child’s mind is remarkable; therefore, it is advantageous to integrate distraction techniques while performing a painful procedure. These techniques are beneficial for dermatologists in order to perform minor surgical procedures on children more efficiently. We report a method of distraction anesthesia unique to pediatric patients. We feel our guidelines for distraction anesthesia can minimize pain and psychologic trauma, decrease the time of the average pediatric procedure by avoiding unnecessary steps such as bargaining or using further restraints, lower medical costs, and ultimately circumvent risky side effects by evading general anesthesia. These simple surgical pearls will provide effective perioperative pain therapy for minor, out-patient surgical dermatologic procedures on children.