Patient Information Leaflet
GENERAL ANAESTHETIC
This leaflet has been designed to improve your understanding of the possible risks
associated with a general anaesthetic. If you would like further explanation please ask.
RISKS THAT CAN RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT INJURY AND DISCOMFORT
Risk
Comment / Explanation
Sore throat
Bruised throat
Broken teeth
Cut lips
Nose bleed
Trauma to teeth,
lips, tongue,
gums and nose
Muscle pains
Arms, legs
Skin bruising
Intravenous line
Nausea
With or without
vomiting
Pain
Wound pain
Airway injury
Injury to throat,
larynx, trachea
Aspiration pneumonia
Injury to lungs
Lung collapse
Atelectasis
Lung infection
Eye damage
Corneal abrasion
Awareness
Patient not fully
asleep
Confusion
Agitation
Due to tubes inserted in the throat and airway to support breathing. Worse
in people prone to bruising because of a medical condition or its treatment.
Caused by the instruments and tubes needed to maintain the airway and
breathing and by susceptible patients biting on these tubes. Caps, crowns
and decayed teeth especially at risk but tooth damage can happen to
anyone. Lips and gums can be bruised or cut. Worse in people prone to
bruising because of a medical condition or its treatment.
Some anaesthetic drugs or prolonged immobility on the operating table can
result in significant muscle pains lasting for days.
Insertion or removal of an intravenous line or canula can result in bruising
and other damage to the skin. The wound may, on rare occasions, become
infected and need antibiotic or surgical treatment to remedy it. Worse in
people prone to bruising because of a medical condition or its treatment.
Due to individual patient susceptibility, anaesthetic drugs, pain killing
(analgesic) drugs and duration of the operation. Severe vomiting may result
and may require admission to hospital for further treatment.
May be difficult to treat due to individual susceptibility or intolerance of
pain killing drugs.
Injury caused by airways, tracheal tubes and instrumentation and
manipulation of airway.
Swelling, laceration and paralysis of structures in the throat and trachea.
Tracheal stenosis from an endotracheal tube. At worst these problems can
cause significant injury to the airway resulting in admission to intensive
care and operations to repair the injury.
Aspiration (inhalation) of stomach contents into the lungs. Despite fasting
for the operation the stomach may not be empty or may not empty
properly into the intestine. Any material in the stomach may regurgitate or
be incompletely vomited and end up being inhaled into the lungs.
Secondary infection further compounds this problem. The resulting damage
to the lungs may result in severe inflammation and can be fatal
Significant collapse of parts of the lungs can occur because of the
anaesthetic or patient susceptibility. Lung infection may complicate this.
Can occur in any age group but more common in overweight people and
tobacco smokers. Can vary in severity. At worst it can result in difficulty
breathing and admission to intensive care.
Injury to the cornea due loss of the protective blink reflex and direct injury
by foreign objects or excessive rubbing or scratching can result in significant
injury to the cornea or surface of the eye.
The patient may not be fully anaesthetised (asleep) due to equipment
(machine) faults, drug errors, individual susceptibility and human error.
Due to effects of anaesthetic and pain killing drugs, withdrawal of
medication or individual susceptibility. Worst at the extremes of age but
especially in the elderly. Cognitive decline in the elderly after anaesthesia
and major operations is a well described problem.
MAJOR LIFE-THREATENING RISKS
Risk
Comment / Explanation
Death
Cardiac arrest
Occurs between 1:200,000
to 1:400,000 cases
Severe reaction to the anaesthetic or other drugs due to anaphylaxis,
malignant hyperpyrexia or rise in blood potassium.
Heart attack due to unknown or known pre-existing heart disease.
Acute pulmonary embolus (clot in the lung).
Acute stroke. Can occur ‘out of the blue’ or in people susceptible to a
stroke.
Cardiac arrest secondary to other injuries such as electrolyte changes,
kidney failure or neurological problems.
Significant injury
Brain damage
Blindness
Seizures
Oxygen and equipment failure or human error.
Cardiac arrest with circulatory arrest.
Reactions to and interactions with anaesthetic drugs, antibiotics and other
drugs (malignant hyperpyrexia, anaphylaxis).
Acute stroke. A stroke can occur ‘out of the blue’ in previously healthy
people (of any age) or can occur as a result of any of the above
complications of an operation and anaesthetic.
Paralysis of limbs
Nerve damage
Spinal cord or severe nerve damage due to manipulation of neck,
compression or stretching of nerves or inadvertent injection of drugs into a
nerve. Result is paralysis and/or numbness of part or all of the arms or legs
or other part of the face and body.
Broken neck
Due to manipulation (movement) of the neck in people with pre-existing
known or undiagnosed neck disease.
Kidney failure
Kidney damage in people with known or unknown kidney disease. Some
people have kidney impairment without knowing it. Damage is due to drugs
and reactions to general anaesthetics.
Skin loss
Due to inadvertent injection of drugs or fluids outside a vein and into the
tissues. May result in skin grafting and scarring of the skin needing plastic
surgery to repair the problem.
This leaflet is available online at http://www.ucc.ie/en/dentalschool/patients