The use of anesthetics and sedatives is necessary in performing certain medical interventions, from a simple tooth extraction to more complicated surgical procedures. However, there have been concerns about the effects of these medications on children’s developing brain. Studies in animals have linked sedative and anesthetic use to memory problems, learning deficits and other neurodegenerative changes in the central nervous system. However, no data on human patients are available even though millions of children receive these drugs each year.

It is for this reason that the regulatory body US FDA launched the multi-year project Safety of Key Inhaled and Intravenous Drugs in Pediatrics (SAFEKIDS). The project involves collaboration with academic and clinical partners who will look into filling major gaps in scientific information about the safe use of anesthetics and sedatives. It is hoped that the first set of data will be available within the next two years. The SAFEKIDS researcher partners are:

• The International Anesthesia Research Society (Cleveland, Ohio), which will be responsible for leading the administrative oversight and the overarching framework for the partnership.
• Children’s Hospital – Harvard University (Boston), which is conducting a long-term study of neurodevelopmental outcomes in pediatric patients administered regional or general anesthesia as neonates or infants.
• Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute (Little Rock, Ark.), which will research the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and neurotoxic effects of an anesthetic agent in infants undergoing various surgical procedures.
• Columbia University (New York), which will evaluate the effects of anesthetic exposure on neurocognitive, emotional and behavioral outcomes in pediatric patients
• Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.), which will study long-term cognitive development following exposure to general anesthetic agents during infancy.

The fun and excitement of Halloween are over. Next on the agenda is the US presidential elections and then it’s time to get ready for Thanksgiving. But before these, you’ll have to “fall back” to Standard Time (ST) this weekend.

For us Europeans, however, the time switch was last weekend so by now, we have recovered and gotten back to our routine. This post brings you the latest update on the health effects of moving back and forth in time.

What are the bad effects of time change?

Aside from the usual sleeping disturbance and daytime tiredness, time shifts may have real serious effects on our health. A Swedish study found association between increased rate of acute heart attacks and time change. Specifically, the significant increase was observed during the first 3 days after shifting to DST in spring and the first weekday after shifting to FT. The reason for this is probably due to sleep deprivation that in turn adversely affects cardiovascular health. The first working day after the time change is especially critical since people tend to stay up late on the weekend only to wake up early on Monday morning.

Who is affected and when?

• Women tend to suffer from heart attack during the spring time shift. Men suffer more during the fall time shift.
• Young adults below 65 are more likely to have a heart attack during both time shifts than those older than 65.
• Night owls feel the effect more and take longer to recover during the spring shift than morning persons. However, night owls recover quickly in the fall.

What can we do to minimize the health problems?

Last March, when we had to “spring forward” to Daylight Saving Time (DST), this post gave you some tips how to make the time transition easier for you and your family. An additional advice for those highly at risk is to avoid sudden changes in your routine and make the transition as gradual as possible.

C’mon. It’s time to reset those clocks!