Risks associated with general anaesthesia
The patient information produced by the College is certified by the PIF Trusted Information Creator Kitemark accreditation scheme run by the Patient Information Forum (PIF) for measuring the quality of health information.
Everyone is different and it is not possible to know who will experience a side effect or risk. Some are more likely in people who have existing health conditions or need certain operations.
The numbers below are averages from research studies. The people in the studies usually had routine surgery, were a healthy weight and did not have specific health conditions.
You can find out about the research we used in our Anaesthesia and risk evidence table.
Your risks might be higher or lower than these numbers. Your anaesthetist will discuss with you the risks that are more likely, or significant, for you.
You can find more information about the different types of anaesthesia from our Patient information leaflets and video resources webpage.
You can read our risk leaflets online, which are available at the bottom of the page or via the links in the infographic below. The infographic is also available in PDF.
Click on the 'read more' buttons to learn more about the
different side effects and risks.
