Nervous about anesthesia, what is the possibility of something going wrong?

You have the normal anxiety jitters experienced by many plastic surgery patients. The best way to lessen your concern is to discuss your medical experience with both the anesthesiologist and plastic surgeon. The better informed you are about the pre-op stages of the BAM, the less nervous you will be. You can request that anti-anxiety medication be administered to you to calm your nerves before surgery. Our surgery center pipes in music, has bubbling fountains, and a nurturing surgery team who soothes the patient with a warm blanket and reassures them of the safety of the procedures as they remind them of the benefits of having the BAM.

There is no such thing as minor surgery - all surgery carries risks. However, something bad is more likely to happen to you in the car on the way to the surgery clinic than under the anesthetic. The risk of the anesthetic is extremely low - provided you are under the care of a board certified anesthesiologist in an inspected and certified facility. All the best.

Hi Thriving640460

As with any surgery, there are associated risks. Only you can decide whether the procedure can achieve your goals and if the recovery and risks are acceptable to you. For more information about this procedure, please visit our website.

There is always the extremely rare possibility of a drug reaction to anesthesia, and I have never seen this in my experience with over 7000 breast breast augmentation patients. I recommend an in person evaluation by a plastic surgeon to be measured and discuss your goals. After I measure and discuss goals with my patients, we then look at pictures of women (my patients) with similar measurements. They also get to see what they would look like when the breasts have fully dropped and fluffed and in clothes. You get to see actual results and the surgeon's experience and not a virtual idea of what can be achieved. Women tell me that this process is very helpful in determining what is right for them. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

Dear Thriving640460,
generally speaking, any surgery has possible complications. However, general anesthesia is safe and millions of people get it during their surgeries. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for sharing your question. Although risks are always present, these would be so small that it should not play a large role in your decision making process. Anesthesia is very well standardized and the possibility of a lethal event is rare.

I appreciate your fears and concerns, however general anesthesia performed by board-certified anesthesiologists or CRNA‘s have evolved significantly. The combination of advanced and highly sensitive anesthesia monitoring equipment as well as improvement of anesthesia gases and drugs used has greatly increased the safety of general anesthesia. The risk of dying or waking up d your procedure during a breast augmentation procedure is extremely extremely low. Discuss your concerns with your board-certified plastic surgeon. Good luck.

It is normal to be a little nervous about surgery. Keep in mind during your surgery you will have an entire trained medical team whose number one priority is your safety. Modern anesthesia is much different than in years past. Serious complications from a healthy patient during a shorter procedure are very rare. There are some things that you can do to ensure you are doing what you can for your safety. Select a board certified plastic surgeon with whom you feel comfortable and confident and have your surgery performed at an accredited facility.

General Anesthesia can be scary but it is extremely safe when performed by a CRNA or MD in an accredited facility/surgery center and the risk of anything going wrong during plastic surgery is decreased when you have the procedure by a plastic surgeon with experience in the procedure you are seeking. Goodluck with your surgery! You will be fine.

The chance of an anesthetic complication from a breast augmentation, although never zero, is extremely rare. If you have any medical conditions, make sure to let your surgeon and anesthesia team aware. Make sure you have a board certified anesthesiologist performing your general anesthesia and you should be in good hands. Good Luck. Dr. W