Approximately 7% of all cesarean deliveries and 18% of preterm cesarean deliveries in the USA require the use of general anesthesia, with earlier gestational age being associated with a greater use of general anesthesia.1,2 In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement expressing concern that pediatric neurodevelopment may be affected negatively by exposure to anesthesia or sedation in the third trimester of pregnancy or before three years of age.3 The FDA acknowledged that a single, short exposure may not have an effect, but the report called for research to characterize the impact of exposure to general anesthesia on neurodevelopment.
