Prevention | The risks of general anesthesia

Prevention

In order to minimize or exclude all these risks, with the exception of emergencies, a consultation is held between the anesthesiologist and the patient in which the anesthesiologist examines the patient’s medical history (especially with regard to drug intolerances) and also records the patient’s physical condition in order to be able to assess whether general anesthesia is too great a physical strain. For this purpose, the anesthetist can also use more precise examination methods such as a pulmonary function test or an ultrasound of the heart to get an impression. To ensure that the patient is adequately cared for and monitored after the end of a general anaesthetic, a basic rule is that the patient should not be alone for the first 24 hours after the end of the anaesthetic.

Due to the drowsiness and confusion after the anaesthesia is removed, which can last several hours in some cases, one should never drive a car or operate a machine after outpatient procedures under general anaesthesia. For this reason, a patient who has just been operated on is usually monitored in a recovery room for at least one hour and possibly longer after the end of the anaesthesia until his or her motor and psychological functions are largely intact again. If there are too many risks, a partial anesthesia, a so-called local anesthesia, can be performed as an alternative to a general anesthesia. Two other procedures, spinal and epidural anaesthesia, are also common.