Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Population-based incidence of anxiety-related behaviours during induction of general anaesthesia in children and efficacy of anxiolytic interventions: an international multicentre retrospective observational study
Authors' conclusion
Most children manage without interventions, showing a lower incidence of anxiety behaviours than previously reported.
Study context
- Population
- Patients under 18 yr undergoing GApatient encounters, six centres
- Participants
- 155,604 participants
- Outcome
- Incidence of anxiety (and difficult induction) during anaesthesia induction, assessed with the Child Induction Behavioural Assessment tool and the Mask Acceptance Scale
Methodological detailsinternational, multicentre
- International
- Multicentre
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Difficult induction
- 6.2%
- Difficult induction, children aged 1-3 yr (highest)
- 11.5%
- Significant anxiety behaviours
- 22.2%
- Significant anxiety behaviours, 1-3-yr-olds (highest)
- 40.8%
- Difficult mask acceptance
- 20%
- Difficult mask acceptance, 1-3-yr age group (highest)
- 34.2%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Difficult induction with premedication
| aOR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Premedication | 0.78 (0.73–0.84) | P < 0.001 | |
| 0.512Adjusted odds ratio (log scale) |
Difficult induction with parental presence at induction
| aOR (95% CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Parental presence at induction | 1.77 (1.55–2.01) | P < 0.001 | |
| 0.512Adjusted odds ratio (log scale) |
No anxiety during induction
- Children without anxiety during induction (121 084); half of these required no interventions
- 77.8%
Original publication
Population-based incidence of anxiety-related behaviours during induction of general anaesthesia in children and efficacy of anxiolytic interventions: an international multicentre retrospective observational study. BJA Open. Published 8 May 2025. doi:10.
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