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General Electric, one of the largest manufacturers of anesthesia gas machines in the country, wanted the service and repair business all to itself, a band of small repair companies from across the country alleged in its antitrust suit. A Texas federal jury agreed, unanimously ruling last week that GE had a nationwide monopoly on the servicing and repair of its anesthesia machines and awarding nearly $44 million in damages to 17 anesthesia businesses, an amount that's expected to be tripled under antitrust legislation. GE denied that it had monopoly power and argued that its policies were legitimate and a matter of self-defense.

Following up on a previous safety alert, the FDA has approved label changes regarding the use of general anesthesia and sedation in children younger than 3 years and in women in the third trimester of pregnancy. The new warnings say that exposure for "lengthy periods of time or over multiple surgeries or procedures may negatively affect brain development in children younger than 3 years."

Editors Note: This is a bit of well-written fun about the little-known advent of modern anesthesia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that repeated or lengthy use of general anesthetic and sedation drugs during surgeries or procedures in children younger than 3 years or in pregnant women during their third trimester may affect the development of children's brains …

EDITOR'S NOTE: These concerns are part of why Expanesthetics is working toward new general anesthetic drugs with novel mechanisms of action.

A recent study published in Pediatrics suggests that children who received anesthesia before the age of 4 had lower IQ scores than a comparator group who did not receive anesthesia. It is important to remember that surgery and anesthesia are safe for kids, but Dr. Andres Loepke and Dr. Andrew Davidson are among those calling for a bigger discussion and understanding of the risks.