Very rare COMPLICATIONS and SIDE EFFECTS of anesthesia services

COMPLICATIONS and SIDE EFFECTS 


Very rare (1/10,000 - 1/200,000)

DAMAGE TO THE EYES: Anaesthetists take great care to protect your eyes. Your eyelids are held closed with adhesive tape, which is removed before you wake up. However, sterilizing fluids could leak past the tapes or you could brush your eyes as you wake up after the tapes have been removed. These could cause damage to the surface of your eye, which is usually temporary and responds to drops.

SERIOUS ALLERGY TO DRUGS: Allergic reactions will be noticed and treated very quickly. Very rarely, these reactions lead to death even in healthy people. Your anaesthetist will want to know about any allergies in yourself or your family. It has been estimated that the incidence of serious allergy to drugs in the operating room is about 1/10,000-13,000.

NERVE DAMAGE: Nerve damage (paralysis or numbness) may be due to damage by the needle when performing a regional block, or it can be caused by pressure on a nerve during an operation. Most nerve damage is temporary and recovers within two to three months.

DEATH: Deaths caused by anaesthesia are very rare, and are usually caused by a combination of four or five complications arising together. There are probably about 4-5 deaths for every million anaesthetics.

EQUIPMENT FAILURE: Vital equipment that could fail includes The anaesthetic gas supply or the ventilator. Monitors are now used which give an immediate warning of problems, and these failures rarely have serious effects.

Uncommon complication and side effects of anesthesia

COMPLICATIONS and SIDE EFFECTS 

Uncommon (1/1,000)

CHEST INFECTION: A chest infection is more likely to happen to people who smoke, and may lead to breathing difficulties. This is why it is very important to give up smoking for as long as possible before your anaesthetic.

BLADDER PROBLEMS: After certain types of operation and regional anaesthesia (particularly with a spinal or epidural), men may find it difficult to pass urine, and women tend to leak. To prevent problems, a urinary catheter may be inserted at a suitable time.

MUSCLE PAINS: These sometimes happen if you have received a drug called suxamethonium. This is a muscle relaxant which is given for emergency surgery when your stomach may not be empty.

SLOW BREATHING (DEPRESSED RESPIRATION): Some pain-relieving drugs can cause slow breathing or drowsiness after the surgery. If muscle relaxants are still having an effect (have not been fully reversed), the breathing muscles may be weak. These effects can treated with other drugs.

DAMAGE TO TEETH, LIPS, OR TONGUE: Damage can be caused to your teeth by clenching them as you recover from The anaesthetic. If your anaesthetist finds it difficult to get the breathing tube in the right place, your teeth may also be damaged. It will be more likely if you have limited mouth opening (for example, if you have arthritis of the jaw), a small jaw or a stiff neck.

AN EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITION GETTING WORSE: Your anaesthetist will always make sure that you are as fit as possible before your surgery. However, if you have had a heart attack or stroke, it is possible that it may happen again – as it might even without the surgery. Other conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure will also need to be closely monitored and treated.

AWARENESS: Your risk of becoming conscious during your operation will depend on your general health and the type of operation you are having. For example, if you are very ill, the anaesthetist may use a combination of muscle relaxants and a lighter general anaesthetic to reduce the risks to you. However, the risk of your being aware of what is going on is increased. Monitors are used During the operation to record how much anaesthetic is in your body and how your body is responding to it. These normally allow your anaesthetist to prevent your anaesthetic from becoming too light. If you think you may have been conscious during your operation, your anaesthetist should be told about it as soon as possible. He or she will want to know, to help both you and future patients.

anesthetic medicines risks

Risks from reactions to anesthetic medicines

Some anesthetic medicines may cause allergic or other abnormal reactions in some people, but these are rare. If you suspect you may have such a problem, you should tell both your surgeon and anesthesia specialist well before your surgery. Testing will then be arranged as needed.

A rare, potentially fatal condition called malignant hyperthermia (MH) may be triggered by some anesthetics. The anesthetics most commonly associated with malignant hyperthermia include the potent inhalation anesthetics and the muscle relaxant succinylcholine. For more information, see the listing for the Malignant Hyperthermia Association of the United States (MHAUS) in the Other Places to Get Help section of this topic.

Complications from local and regional anesthesia

Complications from local anesthesia

When used properly, local anesthetics are safe and have few major side effects. But in high doses, local anesthetics can have toxic effects caused by being absorbed through the bloodstream into the rest of the body (systemic toxicity). This may significantly affect your breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure, and other body functions. Because of these potential toxic effects, equipment for emergency care must be immediately available when local anesthetics are used.

Complications from regional anesthesia

For regional anesthesia, an anesthetic is injected close to a nerve, a bundle of nerves, or the spinal cord. In rare cases, nerve damage can cause persistent numbness, weakness, or pain.
Regional anesthesia (regional nerve blocks, epidural and spinal anesthesia) also carries the risk of systemic toxicity if the anesthetic is absorbed through the bloodstream into the body. Other complications include heart or lung problems, and infection, swelling, or bruising (hematoma) at the injection site.

Spinal anesthesia medicine is injected into the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid). The most common complication of spinal anesthesia is a headache caused by leaking of this fluid. It is more common in younger people. A spinal headache may be treated quickly with a blood patch to prevent further complications. A blood patch involves injecting a small amount of the person's own blood into the area where the leak is most likely occurring to seal the hole and to increase pressure in the spinal canal and relieve the pull on the membranes surrounding the canal.