Anesthesia Side Effects
Anesthesia is used to reduce discomfort and pain for patients undergoing surgery. Depending on the surgery, there are different types of anesthesia including local, general, regional and conscious sedation. Besides minimizing pain, anesthesia reduces the time for recovery. Before undergoing surgery, it's important doctors discuss with patients what to expect regarding any possible side effects or complications linked with procedures. Risks depend on factors such as overall health, as well as the form of anesthesia and the patient's response to medications.
Sore Throat and Bruising
A sore throat is a common side effect if a surgeon placed a tube in the airways to help with breathing during the surgery. Usually a sore throat is brief, lasting only a few hours a few days and is relieved with throat lozenges. Bruising can be caused at injection and drip sites, but typically resolves without any treatment. If the pain is intense, the drip's position can easily be adjusted.
Nausea
Nausea can result from some anesthetic drugs used for particular operations. Treatments may contain anti-emetics, which stop vomiting. Nausea symptoms may range from a just a few hours to several days.
Low Blood Pressure
Following surgery, some people feel dizzy when they first sit up because blood pressure has been lowered, making them feel faint and experience blurred vision. To treat this condition, fluid and drugs are given via a drips.
Chills
Some drugs may cause shivering following surgery. Stress may also be a reason for chills. To reduce shivering, warm blankets are draped over patients during and after surgery.
Drowsiness and Disorientation
It's common to feel sleepy or disoriented for the first 15 minutes after awakening from anesthesia. Often, older people experience some memory loss or become confused when they've undergone an operation using general anesthesia. Although these effects are usually temporary, sometime they can last as long as a few days or weeks.
Other Common Side Effects
A few other common side effects of anesthesia may include itching, headaches and back pain. Headaches may be caused by anxiety or a lack of fluids as well. After a few hours, headaches normally improve. Itching, which can be treated with drugs, can be caused by opiates, stitches or sterilizing fluids. Backaches can result from extended periods of lying on an operating table, although much care is given to positioning patients.
Unusual Side Effects
Although most anesthesia methods are safe, some anesthetic medications can cause abnormal effects or allergic reactions in some people, although it's rare. Patients should discuss with doctors and anesthesia specialists about any possible allergic problems before surgery. For example, malignant hyperthermia (MH) can result from some anesthetics. Anesthetics usually linked with MH include inhalation anesthetics and a muscle relaxant known as succinylcholine.
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