For children, wearing the anesthesia mask can be one of the most traumatizing and anxiety-inducing components of having surgery. Here's an idea. Take the end of the anesthesia mask and dip the lip that connects to the circuit into a medicine cup full of bubbles. You turn a potentially threatening piece of equipment into something that is fun and familiar to children: a bubble blower. Chances are, kids who initially refused to wear or even hold the mask will soften their stance after they've blown bubbles out of its hole.

Becca Mitsos, CCLS
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital
of Chicago (Ill.)
[email protected]