Surgery often requires anesthesia, which was a big step forward in medical innovation when it first came out. It allowed for people to undergo intense procedures without the pain or memory of it happening.
However, anesthesia still carries a big risk with it. In fact, it can even result in a person’s death.
Sleep apnea and smoking
The American Society for Anesthesiologists takes a look at conditions that may make it riskier for a person to undergo anesthesia. The four main categories are whether or not a person has sleep apnea if they smoke, if they are obese, and their age.
Sleep apnea is a condition that causes a victim to stop breathing in their sleep. This can make it harder for a medical team to stabilize oxygen levels and keep the patient breathing properly throughout the procedure.
Smokers also have a similar issue in that their smoking habit decreases their lung capacity and creates an increased chance of heart-related issues after surgery.
Obesity
Obesity, on the other hand, can make it harder for the anesthesiologist to administer proper doses of the medicine. They may accidentally over- or under-dose a person because of these miscalculations. In addition, this creates another issue with breathing clarity, too. Patients might struggle to breathe because of the weight against their lungs as they lie on their back or front.
Old age
Finally, older people tend to struggle more with anesthesia complications. People with heart or lung disease, which increase over time, may contribute to these rising risk factors.
Of course, falling into one of these groups does not guarantee something will go wrong. But it is an important thing to keep an eye on.