Australia is one of the safest places in the world to have anaesthesia.

For General Anaesthesia or Sedation these include:

Common short term minor problems:

• Pain at the surgical site
• Drowsiness or confusion
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pain or bruising or inflammation at intravenous sites
• Sore throat, muscle aches
• Asthmatic reactions
• Damage to lips or tongue

Very rare major problems include:

• Severe Allergic reactions
• Dental damage
• Breathing problems such as pneumonia or breathing difficulties
• Ongoing memory problems
• Strokes, brain injury, nerve injuries
• Heart attacks
• Kidney or Liver Failure
• Awareness
• Death

Specific risks with Regional Anaesthesia (eg epidurals, spinals or peripheral nerve blocks) include:

• Pain on placement
• inadequate or patchy block (Pain)
• Numbness at site
• Infection
• Headaches (1:200 with spinal and epidural injections)
• Temporary nerve damage (1:1000 often numbness)
• Permanent nerve damage (1:10,000 paralysis)