Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffMost healthy people don't have any problems with general anesthesia. Although many people may have mild, temporary symptoms, general anesthesia itself is exceptionally safe, even for the sickest patients. The risk of long-term complications, much less death, is very small. In general, the risk of complications is more closely related to the type of procedure you're undergoing, and your general physical health, than to the anesthesia itself.
Some of the factors that can increase your risk of complications include:
- Smoking
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Other medical conditions involving your heart, lungs or kidneys
- Medications, such as aspirin, that can increase bleeding
- History of heavy alcohol use
- Drug allergies
- History of adverse reactions to anesthesia
Rare complications, which may occur more frequently in older adults or in people with serious medical problems, include:
- Temporary mental confusion
- Lung infections
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Death
Anesthesia awareness
Estimates vary, but about 1 or 2 people in every 1,000 may wake up briefly while receiving general anesthesia. The person usually doesn't feel pain, but is aware of his or her surroundings.
In very rare situations, some people experience excruciating pain in spite of general anesthesia. In this situation, because of muscle relaxants given prior to surgery, people aren't able to move or speak or make others aware of their distress. Some people may develop long-term psychological problems, similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.
The following factors appear to make this phenomenon — also called unintended intraoperative awareness — more likely:
- Emergency surgery
- Cesarean surgery
- Depression
- Use of certain medications
- Heart or lung problems
- Daily alcohol use
- Lower anesthesia doses than necessary used during procedure
- Errors by the anesthesiologist, such as not monitoring the patient or measuring the amount of anesthesia in the patient's system throughout procedure
- Falk SA, et al. Overview of anesthesia and anesthetic choices. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Sept. 28, 2012.
- Brunton LL, et al. Goodman & Gilman's the Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 12th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=28. Accessed Sept. 28, 2012.
- Katzung BG, et al. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology. 12th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=723. Accessed Sept. 28, 2012.
- Miller RD, et al. Miller's Anesthesia. 7th ed. Orlando, Fla.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06959-8..00001-7&isbn=978-0-443-06959-8&uniqId=371665259-3. Accessed Sept. 28, 2012.
- Types of anesthesia providers. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/Who-Is-An-Anesthesiologist/Types-of-Anesthesia-Providers.aspx. Accessed Oct. 9, 2012.
- Understanding the risks of anesthesia. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/Anesthesia-Topics/Michigan/Understanding-the-Risks-of-Anesthesia.aspx. Accessed Oct. 9, 2012.
- Anesthesia experience. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/FAQs/anesthesia%20experience.aspx. Accessed Oct. 9, 2012.
- Seniors and anesthesia. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/Anesthesia-Topics/Seniors-and-Anesthesia.aspx. Accessed Oct. 10, 2012.
- Anesthesia awareness during surgery. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/Anesthesia-Topics/Anesthesia-Awareness-During-Surgery.aspx. Accessed Oct. 9, 2012.
- Q&A: Anesthesia awareness during surgery. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/Anesthesia-Topics/QA-Anesthesia-Awareness-During-Surgery.aspx. Accessed Oct. 9, 2012.
- Brunicardi FC, ed., et al. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2010. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=50. Accessed Oct. 10, 2012.
- Q&A: What you should know before surgery. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/What-To-Expect/QA-What-You-Should-Know-Before-Surgery.aspx. Accessed Oct. 10, 2012.
- Morgan EG, et al. Clinical Anesthesiology. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2006. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceToc.aspx?resourceID=53#276. Accessed Sept. 28, 2012.
- Facts about obstructive sleep apnea. Lifeline to Modern Medicine. http://www.lifelinetomodernmedicine.com/Anesthesia-Topics/Facts-About-Obstructive-Sleep-Apnea.aspx. Accessed Oct. 11, 2012.
- Bischoff P, et al. Awareness under general anesthesia. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. 2011;108:1.
- Whinney C. Perioperative medication management: General principles and practical applications. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2009;76(suppl):S126.
- Omega-3 supplements: An introduction. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/omega3/introduction.htm. Accessed Oct. 18, 2012.
- Vretsakis G, et al. Management of intraoperative fluid balance and blood conservation techniques in adult cardiac surgery. The Heart Surgery Forum. 2011;14:E28.
- Wilkinson JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 2, 2013.
Find Mayo Clinic on