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What can go wrong with anesthesia?
When blood flow is interrupted, like when too much anesthesia is administered, the cells can be starved of oxygen. Oxygen deprivation can quickly result in a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or death. Traumatic brain injuries can also occur if a patient aspirates.
Can you go into a coma from too much anesthesia?
Failure to arouse and delayed awakening are the most common early neurologic problems following general anesthesia. True prolonged postoperative coma is relatively uncommon, with estimates ranging from 0.005 to 0.08 percent following general surgery, but with higher rates reported after cardiac surgery.
Why is anesthesia so scary?
Two common fears that patients cite about anesthesia are: 1) not waking up or 2) not being put “fully to sleep” and being awake but paralyzed during their procedure. First and foremost, both cases are extremely, extremely rare. In fact, the likelihood of someone dying under anesthesia is less than 1 in 100,000.
What is the mortality rate for general anesthesia?
With modern advances in medications, monitoring technology, and safety systems, as well as highly educated anesthesia providers, the risk caused by anesthesia to a patient undergoing routine surgery is extremely remote. Mortality attributable to general anesthesia is said to occur at rates of less than 1:100,000.
Can you die from general anesthesia?
A general anaesthetic itself is very rarely the cause of death. The reasons why a person might experience harm or may die because of a general anaesthetic include: The risk of having a life-threatening allergic reaction is very low (less than 1 in 10,000) and most of those will recover completely.
What are the four stages of general anesthesia?
The first stage of anesthesia, sometimes known as the induction stage, begins with the initial administration of anesthesia and ends with loss of consciousness. The patient experiences sedation, analgesia (but can still feel pain), and eventually amnesia.
What are the dangers of anesthesia?
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