Games Calm Kids Before Surgery

Playing video games may help calm anxious children before surgery. Investigators assessed 112 children about to have surgery that required general anesthesia. The children were either given a sedative or a tablet device to play games on about 20 minutes before receiving anesthesia. The investigators found that children in both groups displayed similar reductions in anxiety; however, those who played games did not experience any of the side effects commonly associated with sedatives. The findings suggest that tablets could offer a non-pharmacological option to reduce perioperative stress. World Congress of Anaesthesiologists, September 2016