Introduction
Like every human intervention, anaesthesia also has a certain risk, which must be recognized and kept as low as possible. The risks of anaesthesia depend on many different factors. On the one hand, the risk depends on the planned surgical procedure and the duration and form of the anaesthesia. On the other hand, the constitution of the patient and his or her previous illnesses play an important role. Therefore, before each anaesthesia, the individual risk of the patient is assessed by talking to an anaesthesiologist and appropriate measures are taken to minimize the risk as much as possible.
Overview of the risks of anesthesia
The risks of anaesthesia depend strongly on the anaesthetic procedure chosen, the duration of the anaesthesia and the materials used. In general anesthesia, a breathing tube is usually inserted into the windpipe. This is necessary because the anaesthetic drugs cause the patient’s own respiratory drive to fail.
However, the breathing tube irritates the mucous membrane, which can lead to damage to the vocal chords or even the teeth. In rare cases, a false intubation into the esophagus may occur. The breathing tube may then possibly injure the mucous membrane of the esophagus.
The anaesthetic drugs also inhibit all the protective reflexes of the human body. This can cause stomach contents to enter the lungs (aspiration) during anaesthesia. This can then become inflamed in the lungs and cause pneumonia.
Furthermore, the risks of anaesthesia depend very much on the patient’s underlying diseases. People with diabetes mellitus or diseases of the cardiovascular system, for example, have a much higher anaesthetic risk than healthy people. A further risk, which particularly affects women and young patients, is postoperative nausea, which is also associated with vomiting (PONV). The risks of anaesthesia are mainly determined by the patient himself and the upcoming surgery.
Complications during anesthesia
If complications occur during anesthesia, this can be detected relatively quickly by means of circulatory values such as blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation and body temperature. These are therefore constantly monitored and noted by the anaesthetist to have a course. In addition, muscle activity can occur if the anaesthetic is too weak.
