Anesthesia for fever and cold

However, the situation is different if the patient does not have a simple cold with some sniffles and discomfort, but if he/she also complains of aching limbs and, above all, of fever and sweating. Fever always puts an enormous strain on the body, as more energy is consumed and the body is running at full speed. This condition is not desirable for an operation.

Anaesthesia in spite of a cold is no problem, however, anaesthesia for fever is a double burden on the body. Especially a longer general anesthesia exposes the body to increased stress over a longer period of time. If fever is added to this, it means that the body has to make an enormous effort to get back into a healthy balance.

For this reason the patient should always measure the fever and watch the temperature before surgery with anesthesia, so that the anesthesiologist is informed and can postpone the surgery for a few days until the fever has dropped. It is always important to be absolutely open to the doctors.If you notice one day before the operation that you do not feel well and do not feel confident about the anesthesia because of the cold, you should definitely tell this quickly and clearly. In most hospitals there is a very strict operation plan, which is meticulously tried to adhere to.

It is therefore important that patients let us know as early as possible if they do not feel able to have anesthesia and the associated surgery due to the cold. At the same time, they should also be able to assess themselves well. A cold is to be distinguished from a light cold, which is definitely not a contraindication for surgery under general anesthesia.

What are the risks of anesthesia despite a cold?

A cold can cause the patient’s airways to swell considerably. In this case, the introduction of the breathing tube (tube), into the trachea, is made more difficult for the doctor. In most cases, however, it is still possible using special equipment (fiber-optic intubation).

In addition, a cold with acute inflammation of the airways leads to a very sensitive bronchial system. This significantly increases the risk of bronchospasm (cramping of the bronchial muscles), especially in children. This makes ventilation more difficult, but can still take place. The susceptibility of the nasopharynx continues for four to six weeks after the cold has subsided. If the immune system is very severely weakened during the cold, this can worsen recovery and wound healing after the operation.