Early intravenous cannulation in children during sevoflurane induction.

Background: It has been shown that early placement of an intravenous line in children anesthetized with halothane is equally safe compared with later placement. Whether this is true of sevoflurane is not known.

Methods: Pediatric patients, age 1-18 years, undergoing elective general anesthesia via an inhalation induction were randomized to intravenous placement either 30 or 120 s following loss of lid reflex.