How safe is Anaesthesia?
Anaesthesia is safe. There has been a dramatic decrease
in the number of complications and deaths associated with
anaesthesia. One crucial factor is the presence of an
anaesthetist to monitor the well being of the patient.
The development of new monitoring equipment and new drugs
have also contributed to the improved safety in anaesthesia.
Will I be able to wake up from anaesthesia?
The likelihood of "not being able to wake up"
from anaesthesia because of an overdose is very low
due to the use of sensitive monitors that are able to
monitor the amount of anaesthetic delivered and the
use of new anaesthetic drugs which wear off faster.
Will I wake up half-way through anaesthesia?
This is unlikely to happen as anaesthetic drugs are
only discontinued when the surgery has finished. There
are however certain types of surgeries e.g. heart bypass,
caesarean sections where the likelihood of patients
becoming awake during surgery is higher.
Will I feel a lot of pain after I wake up?
This will depend on the type of surgery. Generally,
most patients will be given some painkillers during
the surgery. However, as different patients have different
levels of pain threshold, there may be some pain experienced
on awakening. Additional painkillers can be given to
make the patient more comfortable.
Are there any side-effects that may occur as
a result of the anaesthesia?
The common but temporary side-effects are:
- Nausea & vomiting
- Drowsiness
- Temporary inability to
pass urine
- Sore throat
- Headache
Other possible minor complications include: muscle
pains, damage to teeth, dental prosthesis, lips and
tongue, temporary breathing difficulty, temporary difficulty
in speaking and temporary nerve damage.
Although very rare in nature, serious complications
may occur eg. heart attack, stroke, serious allergic
reaction, brain/lung damage, kidney/liver failure, permanent
nerve damage, eye injury, damage to voice box and pneumonia.
Will I lose my memory after anaesthesia?
There should not be any long-term memory loss. However,
there may be short-term memory loss, where the patient
is unable to recall the events around the time of surgery.
This is because some of the medications given to allay
anxiety and for sedation, also have the ability to cause
transient short-term memory loss.
How about my medications?
To be certain if you need to continue your medications,
please check with your surgeon or anaesthetist.
Why do I have to fast before surgery?
Fasting is essential when a procedure is to be performed
under GA or RA. This is because when a patient is under
GA, they lose their protective reflexes. If there are
any food contents in the stomach, this may travel backwards
up into the mouth and cause the patient to choke. The
food particles can also pass into the lungs and cause
a severe chest infection that may be fatal.
It is also necessary for patients undergoing RA to
fast to enable the anaesthetist to convert to GA should
RA fail to bring about the desired effect.
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