Parental Presence at Anesthesia Induction in Infants - a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Surgery in a paediatric setting involves a considerable amount of stress for children and for their parents. The pros and cons of parental presence during anesthesia induction are debated, especially in infants. In older children, parents play a critical role in paediatric surgery, since children depend on parents for support and guidance in coping. However, many centers will not allow parental presence for young infants and neonates, since attachment relationships develop during the second half of infancy (6 - 12 months of age), and the risk of complications during induction are increased. However, there is a paucity of information on the real-world interaction between parents, infant and the anesthesia team. Therefore, the present study will investigate how parental presence affects the parents´ perioperative anxiety level and experiences in a randomized controlled trial. Anesthesia team communication, attitudes and experiences and the rate of complications during induction and emergence will also be studied. The study hypothesis is that presence at induction reduces the parents' anxiety level.

Aim To investigate parents' anxiety, need of information and experiences during induction of their infant, as well as staff communication and experiences, using quantitative and qualitative methods.

Methods Design: randomized controlled trial. After informed consent has been obtained from both parents, they are randomized to being present in the operating room until the infant is asleep due to anesthesia induction (intervention group), or leaving their child to the anesthesia team in the Operating Room (OR)holding area (control group).

When they arrive at the OR holding area, the parents are asked to fill in the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) questionnaire. Electrocardiogram (EKG) electrodes are placed on the infant's chest and connected to an anesthesia monitor. Then the infant is transported to the OR together with the parent if in the intervention group. In the intervention group, the parent is encouraged to stay close to their child and are given ample room on one side of the OR table for this purpose. If appropriate, a peripheral i.v. line is placed. A standard pre-induction time-out is performed, after which the anesthesia induction starts (i.v. thiopental or propofol if a line is in place, mask induction with sevoflurane if not). As soon as the child is asleep (no voluntary movements, eyes closed), the parents are escorted out of the OR, and are asked to fill in the APAIS questionnaire a second time. As in the control group, they are informed that they will be called to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) at the end of the procedure.

Depending on investigator availability, the parents will be interviewed about their experiences on the day after surgery. In addition, the nurse anesthetist and attending anesthesiologist will be interviewed on the day of surgery.