What are some complications an anesthesiologist might face during surgery?
A. As noted above, we often see side effects to all of the drugs that we use. These may be a lowering of blood pressure and a change in the pulse. Most anesthetic drugs depress the breathing stimulus, and the anesthesiologist must be prepared to support the patient’s breathing. Rarely, the patient may experience significant changes in temperature, allergic reactions to drugs, damage to teeth due to the breathing tubes being placed in the trachea, bleeding problems, bronchospasm in the lungs, aspiration of stomach contents, or injury to nerves when nerve blocks are used. While this list may seem long, these reactions are very uncommon, especially in the healthy patient, but the anesthesiologist must be prepared not only to recognize any problem, but also he or she must know how to manage the problem.
