Infant spinal anesthesia reduces postoperative pain scores and pain medication consumption in infants undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy

We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the study by Seifarth on the use of spinal anesthesia (SA) in infants undergoing inguinal hernia repair [1]. We agree that SA is a safe and effective alternative to general anesthesia (GA) in infants and is becoming a popular anesthetic method in infants undergoing infraumbilical surgery [1,2]. Infants who are younger than 60 weeks postmenstrual age are considered high-risk because they are particularly prone to the respiratory and cardiovascular side effects of GA due to their immature respiratory drive, higher oxygen metabolic demand, lower pulmonary reserve, and an upper airway prone to obstruction.