Do the benefits of anesthesia surpass the risks?
A. The risks of anesthesia are quite minimal. But in each case, the patient must weigh the benefits of the surgery (there is no need to give an anesthetic unless there is a need to do surgery) against the risks of the SURGERY AND THE ANESTHESIA! In some cases, the benefits or the surgery do not justify exposing the patient to the risks of anesthesia, such as when a patient with severe congestive heart failure may also have a painful knee. Although an artificial knee could reduce the pain, the patient in consultation with his or her physicians including the anesthesiologist, needs to weigh the benefits of a new knee with no pain versus the potential of more damage to the heart from the effects of anesthesia. Each case and each patient must be addressed as an individual, unique and different from any other patient.
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