Postoperative anesthesia side effects

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Ho Quoc Tuan - Anesthesiologist - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital. Doctor Quoc Tuan has many years of experience in the field of Anesthesia - Resuscitation.
Anesthesia may be used for surgery or other interventional procedures. The use of anesthetics is now quite common and they are generally safe. However, in fact, anesthetics can cause some side effects for patients immediately after surgery or even long after surgery.

1. What is an anesthetic?

Anesthetic drugs are chemicals that, when used in a certain dose to put into the body, will cause the patient to temporarily lose consciousness but still maintain other functions such as breathing, circulation, excretion ...
Each type of anesthetic will have its own maximum dose. It is necessary to use anesthetic drugs properly and at the right dose, if the anesthetic dose is too low, it will not be enough to anesthetize the patient, and if the overdose is used, the patient will be poisoned.
After entering the bloodstream, anesthetic drugs will have effects such as sedation, impaired consciousness, loss of reflexes, muscle relaxation and loss of body sensation.
Current anesthetics are classified into two types, based on the method of anesthetic injection into the body:
Inhalation anesthetics Intravenous anesthetics

2. Side effects of anesthesia after surgery

After surgery, anesthetics can cause some side effects, such as:
Dizziness: this is the first feeling that you will feel due to the side effects of anesthesia, when the first time you get up. To relieve this, you should drink plenty of fluids Pain: pain from anesthesia after surgery Itching: you may feel itchy if you are given opioid pain relievers during surgery Patient has muscle pain : this may be a side effect of using drugs to relax muscles during surgery Dysuria: after general anesthesia the patient may have difficulty urinating for a short time Vomiting and nausea : this is a common side effect after performing anesthesia techniques. To improve this, you can use antiemetics Patient with dry mouth: you may feel dry mouth after surgery as a side effect of the anesthetic. You can drink some water to clear this up Patient has a sore throat and hoarseness: you may feel some pain after the surgery because tubes placed in your throat make it easier to breathe during the procedure Patient feels chills or shivers: the patient's body temperature may drop after the anesthesia is administered Patient is confused, dizzy, confused: as a side effect of the anesthetic, you may Feeling sluggish or dizzy after waking up. This feeling can last for a few hours or it can last for a few days or weeks, especially in older people.

In addition to the above side effects, anesthetics also cause some long-term side effects such as:
Patients with delirium after surgery: the patient may feel confused, unable to determine the direction, difficult Remember after surgery if you have this condition. Patients with cognitive dysfunction after surgery: Anesthesia may contribute to some memory problems or cognitive impairment after surgery. Some rare side effects are caused by anesthetics, such as:
Patient wakes up during general anesthesia Patient's teeth and dentures are damaged Patient has allergies or asthma Appears seizures Patient has a respiratory infection Patient has a high fever.

3. Notes before using anesthetics

In order to avoid side effects caused by anesthetic drugs, patients should note the following:
Patients need to lose weight before surgery to improve circulatory and respiratory function. Do not smoke less At least 6 weeks before surgery You should tell your doctor all the medicines you are taking as well as any medicines you are allergic to or experience side effects after. Do not drink alcohol for 24 hours. hours before surgery to avoid reducing side effects of anesthetics Patients with high blood pressure Patients with cardiovascular diseases Patients with kidney disease Patients with drug allergies Patients with diabetes Patients with sleep apnea Patient is taking blood thinners

In addition, in order to help the patient sedation, increase the effectiveness of the anesthetic, and at the same time avoid the side effects caused by the anesthetic, the doctor can use pre-anesthetic drugs. In addition, to help speed up the induction of anesthesia, you may be given a basic anesthetic to support the effective operation of the surgery.
In order to best avoid and treat the side effects caused by anesthetics, it is most important that you share all of your health information with your doctor so that he or she can understand , and should follow the instructions given by the doctor.
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