Nitrous Oxide Administered by the Plastic Surgeon for Repair of Facial Lacerations in Children in the Emergency Room

摘要

We read with great interest the article by Bar-Meir et al. entitled "Nitrous Oxide Administered by the Plastic Surgeon for Repair of Facial Lacerations in Children in the Emergency Room" (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 117:1571, 2006). We congratulate the authors for opening a new horizon on such a problematic aspect of plastic surgery. However, there are a few points that confused us that we would like to discuss here. There is no doubt that dealing with children in the emergency room is a challenging problem for surgeons, children, and families. The frightened child in pain will surely react with strict refusal of any intervention offered by either the emergency room team or the family. When there is a surgical problem that needs to be resolved immediately, a great effort, requiring physical force in most instances, must be expended by the team. This unpleasant situation is an obstacle that must be overcome without, of course, harming the child or creating any vital risks