Surgery and anesthesia are safer today than ever before, thanks to continuing advances in science. But this doesn’t mean there is zero risk. In fact, surgery and anesthesia are inherently dangerous, and as with any medication or procedure, there is always the chance that something can go wrong. Certain patients are more likely to experience problems or complications and possibly even death than others because of their age, medical conditions or the type of surgery they’re having. If you’re planning to have surgery, there are ways to lower your risk, including meeting with your physician anesthesiologist.

Factors that make anesthesia riskier

Your anesthesia risk might be higher if you have or have ever had any of the following conditions:

• Allergies to anesthesia or a history of adverse reactions to anesthesia
• Diabetes
• Heart disease (angina, valve disease, heart failure or a previous heart attack)
• High blood pressure
• Kidney problems
• Lung conditions (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD)
• Obesity
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Stroke
• Seizures or other neurological disorders
• Smoking or drinking two or more alcoholic beverages a day also increases your risk.

Risks of Anesthesia

• Postoperative delirium or cognitive dysfunction – A condition called postoperative cognitive dysfunction can result in long-term memory and learning problems in certain patients. It’s more common in older people because an aging brain doesn’t recover from anesthesia as easily. In addition to the elderly, people who have conditions such as heart disease, especially congestive heart failure, Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease, or who have had a stroke before are also more at risk. It’s important to tell the physician anesthesiologist if you have any of these conditions.
• Malignant hyperthermia – Some people inherit this serious, potentially deadly reaction to anesthesia that can occur during surgery, causing a quick fever and muscle contractions. If you or any family member has ever had heat stroke or suffered from malignant hyperthermia during a previous surgery, be sure to tell the physician anesthesiologist.
• Breathing problems during and after surgery – Anesthesia can be more dangerous for patients who have obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes them to stop breathing while they sleep. In patients with this condition, anesthesia can cause the throat to close up during surgery and make it more difficult to regain consciousness and take a breath after surgery.

Risks associated with other types of anesthesia

 The safest type of anesthesia is local anesthesia, an injection of medication that numbs a small area of the body where the procedure is being performed. Rarely, a patient will experience pain or itching where the medication was injected.

Regional anesthesia, which numbs a larger part of the body, such as from the waist down, is also safer than general anesthesia, but it does carry some risks. Patients sometimes experience headaches after having regional anesthesia. In rare cases, the injection can cause a collapsed lung if the needle is inserted in the chest area. Nerve damage from regional anesthesia also is a rare complication. 

Journal of Surgery and Anesthesia is a peer reviewed, open access journal dedicated to publishing research on all aspects of surgery and anaesthesia. This journal aims to keep anaesthesiologists, anaesthetic practitioners, surgeons and surgical researchers up to date by publishing clinical & evidence based research.

Authors are welcome to submit their manuscripts for our year-end issue. Manuscripts can be submitted at https://www.longdom.org/submissions/surgery-anesthesia.html or as an e-mail attachment to surgery@emedsci.com

Media contact

Kate Williams

Editorial Assistant

Journal of Surgery and Anesthesia.

Email: surgery@emedsci.com