“Can general anesthesia go wrong?”

Anything in this world “CAN” go wrong, that is why we don't become anesthesiologists overnight. We train relentlessly for YEARS!

There are risks with any anesthetic or surgery, just as there are risks with everything we do.

It is not the anesthesia that goes wrong, but which organs and how it affects them on top of the surgical procedure. All the preexisting problems do come in the picture.

By "going wrong" I assume you mean anesthesia problems related to morbidity or mortality. Risks include: allergic reaction, difficulty securing/maintaining the airway, ventilation problems/bronchospasm/laryngospasm/pneumothorax, perfusion/blood pressure problems due to hyper/hypotension, and acute surgical blood loss.

The monitoring systems used in general anesthesia are very sophisticated. We can and do watch your vital signs from moment to moment and have continuous readouts on the monitor of your cardiac and respiratory activity. It is estimated that out of 24 million anesthetics each year in the United States (half of which may be general anesthetics), only a handful have Intra operative deaths attributable to anesthesia. The surgery is most often the most dangerous part. Of course, that means that there is some risk, however small. It isn’t zero, but as I like to tell patients “by far the most dangerous thing you did today is driving here for your procedure”. There are some rare familial conditions (malignant hyperthermia or enzyme deficiencies) which increase risk, but most often patients are aware of these issues if they occur within their families. Good luck!