More than three-quarters of Americans have concerns about the safety of the anesthesia used during surgery, according to an American Society of Anesthesiologists survey that reveals a number of public misconceptions about the process.
Such fears could lead 1 in 4 patients to postpone surgery, even though those fears are largely unfounded, says the ASA. The organization points out that advances in the field have dramatically lowered the rate of anesthesia-related deaths over the past 25 years. "To help put this into perspective, a person is about 40 times more likely to be struck by lightning than he or she is to die from anesthesia-related complications," says a press release announcing the survey results.
The survey also reveals patient confusion over the nature of general anesthesia, with nearly 40% mistakenly believing that being under general anesthesia is comparable to being asleep and another 20% believing that general anesthesia involves numbing part of the body while keeping the patient's awareness intact.
This information, published in the ASA's second quarterly Vital Health Report, comes from an online survey of more than 1,000 Americans conducted in June. To help ease fears about surgery and anesthesia, the organization has developed an online Know Your Vital Health Tool that provides patients with information about anesthesia and strategies for improving their own health and wellness to promote better surgical outcomes.
Irene Tsikitas
