There has never been safer time to have an anaesthetic in Australia. This is due to the long and rigorous training, the world-class expertise of anaesthetists in Australia, plus an ever increasing use of technology.
The overall risk of having any anaesthetic for surgery are related to:
General Anaesthesia
General anaesthesia is a drug-induced coma that makes the patient unconscious. This allows the patient to have an operation without moving, experiencing pain, or remembering what happened.
The common, relatively minor, problems related to general anaesthesia include:
The major problems, which are very rare, include:
Regional Anaesthesia (Local Anaesthetic Blocks)
Regional anaesthesia, also known as a block, uses local anaesthetic injected around an area of the body (for example, the eye, a major nerve, or the spinal cord) to make it completely numb. This allows surgery to take place without pain. The patient is awake or comfortably sedated. Regional anaesthesia can be used at the same time as general anaesthesia for pain relief after the operation. This is commonly done in children, and increasingly in adults.
The risks of having a block are bruising and some pain around the site of injection, failure of the block to work properly, damage to the nerve or surrounding structures, which can be permanent, and reactions to the local anaesthetic.
For more specific risks, please refer to the following:
The overall risk of having any anaesthetic for surgery are related to:
- The type and duration of the surgery
- The health of the patient
- The anaesthetic
General Anaesthesia
General anaesthesia is a drug-induced coma that makes the patient unconscious. This allows the patient to have an operation without moving, experiencing pain, or remembering what happened.
The common, relatively minor, problems related to general anaesthesia include:
- About 50% of patients will get a sore throat from the breathing tube.
- About 30% of patients will experience nausea and/or vomiting. Females, children, patients that get motion sick, and patients having longer operation are at increased risk. Regional anaesthesia (see below) reduces the risk.
- Damage to the teeth that requires repair occurs about once in 4000 anaesthetics. Capped teeth, crowns, loose or damaged teeth are more likely to be damaged compared to normal teeth. Minor damage to the lips or tongue are very common. Surgeons can also damage the teeth, lips or tongue for surgery on the mouth, throat, lungs or stomach.
- About 20% of patients will get back pain. The risk of this is much higher in patients who already have problems with their back.
The major problems, which are very rare, include:
- Severe allergic reactions happen in about 1 in 10,000 cases.
- Breathing problems, including chest infections. For major abdominal surgery the risk is about 20%.
- Heart problems.
- Brain damage.
- Awareness.
- Death.
Regional Anaesthesia (Local Anaesthetic Blocks)
Regional anaesthesia, also known as a block, uses local anaesthetic injected around an area of the body (for example, the eye, a major nerve, or the spinal cord) to make it completely numb. This allows surgery to take place without pain. The patient is awake or comfortably sedated. Regional anaesthesia can be used at the same time as general anaesthesia for pain relief after the operation. This is commonly done in children, and increasingly in adults.
The risks of having a block are bruising and some pain around the site of injection, failure of the block to work properly, damage to the nerve or surrounding structures, which can be permanent, and reactions to the local anaesthetic.
For more specific risks, please refer to the following:
- Eye block
- Spinal, epidural or caudal Block
- Other nerve block
For an excellent, easy to understand description of anaesthetic risks, please download this booklet from The Royal College of Anaesthetists in the UK. The booklet is also embedded below.
ANAESTHETIC RISKS BOOKLET | |
File Size: | 596 kb |
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