Anesthesia can be used during various medical procedures to help keep a patient relaxed, pain-free and comfortable. It can also regulate breathing, blood pressure, blood flow and heart rate. Anesthesia can be local and applied to a very specific spot, it can be used on a larger area such as the spine, hands or face, or it can be general and affect the whole body. An anesthesiologist will decide upon the type and amount of anesthesia needed based on the procedure, general health of the patient and recommendations from a physician. While in most cases it is safe, before receiving anesthesia it is important to understand the risks.
Nausea and Vomiting
Anesthesia can affect the stomach and cause nausea and vomiting warns, MedlinePlus. It may also cause a dry mouth and sore throat. To help prevent complications, the surgeon and anesthesiologist should be told about any medical conditions that are present, no matter how minor they seem. Providing a list of medications including prescription, over-the-counter and herbal medications that are being taken will also help. Informing the health care team about any allergies or family history of side effects to anesthesia, is also important. If nausea and vomiting occur, there are medications that can help.
Confusion
General anesthesia involves putting a patient to sleep in order to complete long, painful or complicated procedures. This is accomplished through administering a combination of gases and medications, that cause the brain to not respond to pain or pressure. They can be given intravenously or breathed in. In rare cases, after receiving general anesthesia, there may be a temporary period of mental confusion. The patient will not be able to drive, operate machinery or make important decisions for one to two days after receiving general anesthesia. The patient should discuss with the physician guidelines on consuming alcohol, sedatives, sleeping pills or tranquilizers after anesthesia to reduce the risk of complications.
Headaches and Allergic Reactions
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, regional anesthesia may be safer because it does not usually interfere with breathing or brain activity. Regional anesthesia refers to numbing an area of the body, such as the spine or a foot, without putting the patient to sleep. While it is usually well tolerated, some patients experience headaches, difficulty urinating and sometimes unexpected allergic reaction.
Systemic Toxicity
When using local anesthesia, there is a very rare chance that too much medication will enter the bloodstream and cause a toxic reaction. An anesthesiologist needs to monitor blood pressure, heart rate activity and brain activity so that steps can be taken immediately if the signs of toxicity occur, says the November 2005 issue of Anesthesiology News.
Death
In rare cases, anesthesia can result in death due to brain damage, respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. A paper published in April 2009 in the "Journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists," states that between the years 1999 to 2005, there were approximately 315 deaths per year. The risk of death, however, is dependent on the type of anesthesia used and the general health of the patient. Those with severe heart and lung diseases as well as the elderly had the highest risk. In some cases, other complications such as infection may have also contributed to fatalities. A physician and anesthesiologist should discuss the risks versus the benefits with the patient before undergoing surgery.
References
- MedlinePlus: General Anesthesia Risks and Complications Patient Tutorial
- MayoClinic.com: General Anesthesia
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Anesthesia for Hip and Knee Surgery
- Clinical Anesthesiology: Systemic Toxicity From Local Anesthetics Can Be Managed
- "American Society of Anesthesiologists": Epidemiology of Anesthesia-related Mortality in the United States, 1999-2005
