What Are The Risks Of Surgery?
The risks of surgery are always there, even for minor surgery, and even for cosmetic surgery. Obviously there are greater risks to be faced when major surgery, such as brain surgery, spinal cord surgery, or open heart surgery is involved, and the risks of surgery increase with age or with illness. Even minor surgery has a traumatic effect on our body, and our general health and well being goes a long way in determining how risky surgery could be.
There are other factors contributing to the risks of surgery as well, including the experience of the surgeon and the anesthesiologist, the competency of the surgical team as a whole, and also the physical and mental condition of the patient. Some withstand the rigors of surgery better than others, and for no apparent reason, while some patients may have disorders which have not been detected or diagnosed which could lead to complications.
Risk Of Death - Death is also a risk we all think about. The risk of dying is usually greatest when performing emergency surgery to save one's life, where death would be almost certain if the surgery were not performed. Open heart surgery and surgery on the lungs are also rather high risk, and the doctor may even quote statistics so you'll know your chances. A 1% chance of dying is certainly not as good as a one in a million chance of dying, but for major surgery it is not a bad number to have to consider. Again, depending upon your age and general health this number can increase significantly.
Scary Things - Some risks of surgery we sometimes read about are quite rare. It happened that forceps, tweezers, or another surgical tool has been inadvertently left in the patient, only to be discovered later. There have been instances of towels being left in people. These situations of course make the headlines, as they probably should, but they are very rare.
What many people fear, perhaps even more than dying, is awakening in the middle of surgery. Like having a towel left inside, this happens, but like the towel incident is really quite rare. It should be noted that anesthesia not only makes you go to sleep, but goes a step further and shuts down the body's capability to feel pain. So even if you did awaken, it doesn't mean you would feel anything. The probability of your awakening during surgery is probably about the same as the probability of being accidentally buried alive.
Anesthesia - What then are the risks of surgery that you may want to discuss with the surgeon, or the surgeon may wish to discuss with you? We've touched upon one, anesthesia. The risk is not great under local anesthesia as is the case under general anesthesia unless one has a reaction to the drug being administered. Under general anesthesia, functions of the body, while not completely shut down, are somewhat shut down. The anesthesiologist must carefully regulate the anesthesia during the course of surgery, giving enough to ensure unconsciousness and a complete stoppage of bodily movements, yet not giving so much that the heart or breathing stops.
Excessive Bleeding - Bleeding, especially uncontrolled bleeding, is another risk. Bleeding is of course to be expected, but a surgeon is always careful to keep it at a minimum. For various reasons though, bleeding may become excessive, and either a transfusion will be required, or the surgery may have to be stopped. For some surgeries, such as open heart surgery, a need for transfusions, while not always required, is usually planned for.
Infection - Infection is one of the more common risks of surgery we face. Any surgical wound is vulnerable to becoming infected, no matter how careful the surgical team is. That doesn't mean that infection is a given, but simply that it sometimes occurs no matter how much care has been taken to avoid it. While most infection occurs because the skin has been broken, some patients enter surgery already suffering from some type of infection, and surgery could result in the infection spreading.
There are other risks as well, ranging from the formation of a blood clot, an accidental injury occurring during the surgery, or a post-surgical problem, such as numbness or difficulty in breathing. A surgeon should always be able to tell you what the risks are, in terms of your physical and mental well being.