Can someone die from general anesthesia?

Yes, it is possible for someone to die from general anesthesia, but this is extremely rare. General anesthesia is a type of anesthesia that causes loss of sensation to the whole body, usually to the point of unconsciousness. The risk of a healthy person dying of general anesthesia is 1 in 100,000. Undergoing the process of general anesthesia is known to be a very safe procedure.

General anesthesia is mostly used for long and serious surgeries. During this process, anesthesiologists are present to monitor the process and watch the patient’s vitals to a stable level all through the surgical procedure. The common side effects of general anesthesia include temporary confusion or memory loss, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, difficulty passing urine, and many more.

No! Someone cannot die from general anesthesia. It is extremely rare, probably like one out of 200,000. Though, in the time past, people die from general anesthesia then these present days. The advancement in technology and in the medical line has brought a lot of improvement in the general anesthesia process. General anesthesia is usually used for very serious or long surgeries.

Anesthesiologists ensure the use of a pulse oximeter which is connected directly to the trachea to ensure enough and supply of oxygen during the medical operation. This was not that easy to put into use in the past. Some people, when given the anesthesia drug can develop malignant hyperthermia. This is an uncommon reaction by very few patients as reaction towards the drug. It causes a slight fever, and can make suffer more complicated and even lead to the death of the patient in the past, but this can be more easily controlled by the anesthesiologists. Thanks to technology advancements.

General anesthesia is considered to be very safe. The one that is considered to be risky is the procedure itself that the person has to go through, which requires general anesthesia. The only time when anesthesia can be considered as a risk is when someone administers the anesthesia incorrectly. For example, the anesthesia may be too large than what the person can take.

It is rare that people will experience some side effects because of the anesthesia in general. Those who are older will be more at risk of experiencing some side effects due to the use of anesthesia because their bodies may be too weak to handle the changes that anesthesia can do.

No, it is rare for a patient to die on the operating table as a result of general anesthesia. This is because the modern-day practice of anaesthesiology is pretty safe. Statistics show that roughly 1 in every 100,000 - 200,000 cases result in death. However, death can occur if serious problems (complications) as a result of general anesthesia.

It is also uncommon as complications relating to anesthesia are rare. Common side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, itching, and chills, are not life-threatening. The most common cause of death directly related to anesthesia is loss of airway after intubation of a patient; this cause hypoxia. Failure of the ventilating machine, running out of oxygen or severe adverse effect of anesthetic drugs administered can also cause death.

Although you cannot die from general anesthesia, general anesthesia is most likely to cause side effects. The most common side effects are vomiting, nausea, chills, itching, and mental confusion for a few days after the use of the anesthetic. Since a breathing tube is used, it is also possible to get a sore throat afterwards. It is also possible to have more unusual side effects resulting from anesthesia. Old people with certain conditions like Azheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease can be at risk of problems with memory and learning after the anesthetic, but this is quite rare.

Another rare side effect is hyperthermia where a person develops a severe fever in response to the anesthesia. When this occurs, it is usually in patients prone to heatstroke. As a result, it is possible to get injured by general anesthesia and temporary unpleasant side-effects, but generally one will not die from general anesthesia if it is being properly applied

No, you can’t die from general anesthesia 🧐. Modern-day anesthesia is very safe. Although, it can cause serious injuries in rare and extreme cases where its administration goes wrong. It has a very low probability, around 1 in 7 million 😊.

Basically, in general anesthesia, patients are put in a sleep-like state before going for any medical treatment or surgery by giving an injection. General anesthesia is far away from going nearly dead state. It’s just the fear of patients that kills them as they believe they will never wake up from this artificial sleep 😵.

However, some people might face some of the potential side effects of general anesthesia such as temporary memory loss, headache, nausea, vomiting, sore throat etc. You might be shocked to know that even ill patients can undergo general anesthesia safely. In fact, the risk of having any of the above-mentioned side effects doesn’t depend on the type of anesthesia but on the type of procedure you are undergoing and your overall physical health.

Note: None of the side effects caused by anesthesia are ever-lasting or long term effects. They last for a few hours or one to two days 😊.