General anesthesia is administered intravenously or via inhaling a special gas. Once asleep, you may have a tube inserted in your windpipe to assist breathing. Your blood pressure, breathing and pulse will be monitored closely, and you will not likely remember anything that occurs during the procedure.
There are also more moderate forms of anesthesia, including conscious sedation, in which you will be awake but comfortable during a relatively minor procedure.
Thousands of people undergo general anesthesia each week in the nation’s hospitals and outpatient clinics. Complications are rare, but they do occur – witness Joan Rivers, who underwent sedation at a doctor’s office and died from complications.
No Problem for Most
Healthy people usually have no problems, but some may be at a higher risk for problems. These are usually people who are obese; have existing heart, kidney or lung problems; are heavy smokers or drinkers, or abusing other substances; or have a family history of allergies to certain substances. While rare, deaths like Rivers' occur, and you may develop problems with vocal cords, get a lung infection, have a heart attack or stroke, have problems with your teeth or gums, and, in the most rare instances, awaken during the operating procedure. There have also been instances of post-anesthesia hallucinations.