What are the risks of anesthesia?
A. Although all types of anesthesia involve some risk, major side effects and complications from anesthesia are uncommon. Your specific risks depend on your health, your age, the type of anesthesia used, and your response to anesthesia. You should ask your anesthesiologist about any risks that may be associated with your anesthesia.
Anesthesia has become much safer over the past 30 years as we have more understanding of how anesthesia affects you, have newer anesthesia medications to choose from, and use better methods to monitor your well being during surgery such as heart and oxygen monitors. Patients are now better prepared for surgery as well. It is common to give anesthesia to older patients and to those with more serious medical problems than were once seen. However, as with all medical procedures there are risks from anesthesia. Some of the risks include infection from a needle site or pneumonia, drug reactions including allergic reactions, or injury to a fetus or miscarriage if you are pregnant. It is possible to have an injury to your vocal cords, damage to your teeth, or injury to your tongue or lips because it is frequently necessary to put a breathing tube in your throat or windpipe. In very rare cases you may suffer an eye injury or loss of vision, nerve injury from laying in one position during surge
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