Pediatric anesthesia in an outpatient setting.

Children are excellent candidates for outpatient surgery. The typical pediatric surgical patient is in good health and has no serious systemic disorder. Futhermore, most surgical procedures in children are simpler and require less complicated techniques than those performed in adults. From the child's perspective, the two greatest advantages of outpatient surgery are the minimization of parental separation, and the reduction of exposure to hospital-acquired infections, which is particularly beneficial for children who are prone to infection (such as children on immunosuppressant therapy).