Like any medicine, anaesthetics have associated risks for every person - young and old. However, after many years of developing equipment, medication, procedures and knowledge, the risks associated with anaesthesia have been significantly reduced and safe today. To put this in perspective, the risk of serious damage from anaesthesia is much less than the risk of travelling in a car.

This table gives an idea of risks and how often they might occur.

Risk Risk level Description
Restlessness 1 in 10 Very common
Sickness 1 in 10 Very common
Dizziness 1 in 10 Very common
Headache 1 in 100 Common
Chest infection 1 in 1000 Uncommon
Damage to teeth 1 in 1000 Uncommon
Awareness 1 in 1000 Uncommon
Serious allergy to drugs 1 in 10.000 Rare
Serious complication of local anesthesia 1 in 10.000 Rare
Serious complication of strong pain killers 1 in 10.000 Rare
Brain damage < 1 in 100.000 Very rare
Death << 1 in 100.000 Extremely rare

Source: https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/patientinfo/risks

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