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Anaesthetic risks and side effects
In modern anaesthesia serious problems are uncommon, however risk cannot be removed completely.
Modern equipment, training and drugs have made it a much safer procedure in recent years. To understand a risk, you must know:
- How likely it is to happen
- How serious it could be
- How can it be treated
The risk to you as an individual will depend on:
- Whether you have any other illness
- Personal factors, such as smoking or being overweight
- Surgery which is complicated, long or carried out as an emergency
Your anaesthetist or pre assessment nurse will discuss these risks with you at your appointments and in greater depth at your pre assessment appointment.
Will there be any side effects or complications?
You can work out the possibility of side effects and complications using the following scale and tables.
- Very common (1 in 10)
- Common (1 in 100)
- Uncommon (1 in 1,000)
- Rare (1 in 10,000)
- Very rare (1 in 100,000)
Very common and common side effects which MAY occur
| General anaesthetic | Regional anaesthetic | |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling sick and vomiting after surgery | Yes | Yes |
| Sore throat | Yes | No |
| Dizziness, blurred vision | Yes | Yes |
| Headache | Yes | Yes |
| Itching | Yes | Yes |
| Aches, pains and backache | Yes | Yes |
| Pain during injection of drugs | Yes | Yes |
| Bruising and soreness | Yes | Yes |
| Confusion and memory loss | Yes | No |
Rare and very rare complications which MAY occur
| General anaesthetic | Regional anaesthetic | |
|---|---|---|
| Damage to the eyes | Yes | No |
| Serious allergy to drugs | Yes | Yes |
| Nerve damage | Yes | Yes |
| Death | Yes | Yes |
| Equipment failure | Yes | Yes |
Deaths caused by anaesthesia are very rare, and are usually caused by a combination of four or five complications together. There are about five deaths for every million anaesthetics in the UK. If you have any questions please speak to your doctor.
More information on the side effects and complications than is listed here is in the booklet Anaesthesia Explained, published by the Royal College of Anaesthetists.