Risks and complications

In recent years, having anaesthesia has become very safe. Advances in equipment, medication and training mean serious problems are rare.

However, as with any type of surgery or medical procedure, there's a potential risk of complications.

The benefits and risks of surgery and anaesthesia will be carefully weighed up and explained to you before you have any operation.

Very rare possible complications include:

• permanent nerve damage this can cause numbness or paralysis (inability to move a part of the body), although this may be a result of the surgery itself; peripheral nerve damage occurs in less than 1 in 1,000 anaesthetics (the peripheral nerves run between the spinal cord and the rest of the body)
• an allergic reaction to ananaesthetic medication (anaphylaxis) although this can be severe,appropriate treatment is on hand to enable the best chance of dealing with this effectively and immediately; it's not clear exactly how often anaesthetics cause anaphylaxis, but the best estimate is that a life-threatening allergic reaction occurs during 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 20,000 anaesthetics
• death there are approximately 10 deaths for every million anaesthetics given in the UK

Your risk of developing complications will depend on a number of factors, including:

• your medical history for example, whether you have any other serious medical conditions or illnesses
• personal factors for example, whether you smoke or are overweight; if you smoke,stopping several weeks before your operation will reduce your risk of having breathing problems, andlosing weight will also help reduce your risk
• the type of procedure for example, whether it's a planned or an emergency procedure, or whether it's a major or minor procedure
• the type of anaesthetic local anaesthesia can have advantages over general anaesthetics in the right circumstances

Before your procedure, your anaesthetist will explain if there are any particular risks of developing possible complications.

In most cases, the benefits outweigh the risks. Any concerns you have should be discussed with your anaesthetist before surgery.