Risks associated with anaesthesia
In modern anaesthesia, serious problems are uncommon.
Risk cannot be removed completely, but modern equipment, training and drugs have made it a much safer procedure in recent years.
To understand a risk, you must know:
- how likely it is to happen
- how serious it could be
- how it can be treated.
The risk to you as an individual will depend on:
- whether you have any other illness
- personal factors, such as smoking or being overweight
- surgery which is complicated, long or done in an emergency.
| More information on the side effects and complications described in these pages is in the information leaflet ‘Anaesthesia explained’. | Download » |
| APA Position statement on Anaesthesia and the developing brain | Download » |
| SmartTots is a Public-Private Partnership between the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) that aims to coordinate and fund a research programme to ensure safe anaesthesia for infants and young children. | Visit website » |
