Scientists want to study whether anesthesia poses risk to babies

WASHINGTON -- Studies of baby animals long have suggested going under anesthesia can harm a developing brain. Now scientists want to find out whether the drugs pose risks for human babies. Questions began years ago, when experiments in newborn rats showed such drugs could kill brain cells. The Food and Drug Administration formed a partnership with the International Anesthesia Research Society, called SmartTots, to study the issue. In 2012, SmartTots, the FDA and the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a public caution about the uncertainty.