Possible Complications with the different anaesthesia options
General Anaesthesia
Implications:
Usually not serious and clear up without treatment.
Complications:
- Nausea & vomiting
- Sore throat
- Shivering
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Visual
- disturbance, blurred vision
- Nose bleeding or stuffiness
- Itching
- Swelling or discomfort at the site of the drip
- Difficult insertion of a drip requiring multiple attempts
- Confusion or loss of memory, especially in the elderly
Implications:
Usually not serious but sometimes require treatment.
Complications:
- Injuries to teeth, crowns, lips, tongue, mouth
- Painful muscles
- Difficulty in passing urine
- Suppressed / difficulty in breathing
- Exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions
Implications:
May be serious.
Complications:
- Eye injuries
- Allergic reactions to medications administered
- Nerve injury
- Lung infections, especially in smokers
- Aspiration
- Heart attack
- Stroke
Spinal or Epidural Anesthesia
Implications:
Usually not serious and clear up with or without treatment.
Complications:
- Drop in blood pressure
- Dizziness, light-headedness
- Shortness of breathe
- Nausea
- Shivering
- Itchiness
- Difficult in passing urine
- Hot flushes
- Palpitations
- Fleeting headaches
Implications:
Usually not serious but sometimes require treatment.
Complications:
- Failed spinal or epidural
- Headache
- Backache
Implications:
May be serious.
Complications:
- Blood clot (haematoma) or infection which may press on the spinal cord
- High spinal block causing temporary paralysis and difficulty in breathing
- Damage to nerves or spinal cord
- Seizures or cardiac arrest
- Death
Regional Anaesthesia (“nerve block”)
Implications:
Usually not serious and clear up with or without treatment.
Complications:
- Bruising (the risk is increased if you are taking blood thinners)
- Failure of block
- Persistent weakness / numbness lasting longer than 24 hours (this may be related to the operation itself or positioning and usually resolves completely within a few weeks)
Implications:
Usually not serious but sometimes require treatment.
Complications:
- Infection (risk is higher if a catheter is left in place)
- Lung collapse (with certain blocks only)
- Damage to surrounding structures such as blood vessels, nerves, muscles
- Shortness of breath (with certain blocks only)
- Numbness of the face, visual disturbances or hoarseness of the voice (with certain blocks only)
- Other block-specific complications which you anaesthesiologist will discuss with you
Implications:
May be serious.
Complications:
- Permanent nerve damage
- Overdose of local anaesthetic which can lead to seizures or cardiac arrest (for which an antidote is available)
Conscious Sedation
Implications:
Usually not serious and clear up with or without treatment.
Complications:
- Unintended loss of consciousness
- Drowsiness / dizziness
- Nausea & vomiting
- Shivering
- Headache
- Itching
- Swelling or discomfort at the site of the drip
- Difficult insertion of a drip requiring multiple attempts
- Confusion or loss of memory, especially in the elderly
Implications:
Usually not serious but sometimes require treatment.
Complications:
- Need to convert to general anaesthesia
- Injuries to teeth, crowns, lips, tongue, mouth
- Painful muscles
- Difficulty in passing urine
- Suppressed / difficulty in breathing
- Exacerbation of pre-existing medical conditions
Implications:
May be serious.
Complications:
- Eye injuries
- Allergic reactions to medications administered
- Nerve injury
We are fully qualified doctors with years of training exclusively in the practice of anaesthesia, intensive care and pain management, resuscitation and advanced life support.
Contact Us
044 630 0660
info@synceruscare.co.za
Postnet Suite 204
Private bag x 6590
George
6530