• Leora Kuttner.
• Department of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital & University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. kuttner@sfu.ca
• Paediatr Anaesth. 2012 Jun 1;22(6):573-7.

ObjectivePediatric hypnosis has a useful role in pre-, peri-, and post-anesthesia to minimize anticipatory anxiety, and as adjunctive treatment to reduce and control pain. This article reviews the literature in the use of hypnosis in pediatric anesthesia to highlight its role and relevancy.BackgroundCurrent research indicates there is an immediate and enduring impact, and long-term benefits of this child-centered intervention. Hypnosis can be included in presurgical consultations to establish cooperation and signals for increasing comfort and to address fears and provide suggestions for rapid recovery with changed expectations for the child's own benefit. Thus prepared, the child is in a heightened state of receptivity and statements and suggestions carry through to peri- and post-anesthesia, when hypnosis can help with extubation, reduce nausea, and ease recovery.MethodThe Magic Glove is one hypno-anesthesia technique that simultaneously addresses pain and anxiety. The process of hypnosis requires training and supervised practice.ConclusionPatients in hypnosis treatment conditions have less anxiety and shorter hospital stays and experience less long-term pain and discomfort than do patients in control conditions. There appears little reason not to provide hypnosis as an adjunctive treatment for pediatric patients undergoing anesthesia.© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

This article appears in the collection: Are suggestion techniques and hypnosis useful in anesthesiology?.

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