“Does anesthesia affect your heart?”

First of all, I would like to reassure you that general anesthesia is very safe. It does have a small but measurable depressant effect on heart function which in most cases is not considered detrimental. You will be fully monitored the entire time you are under the effects of anesthesia. If there are any issues with measures of heart function such as heart rhythm, blood pressure, or heart rate you would be given medication through the intravenous line to quickly correct the problem. Good luck with your surgery!

In some respects anesthesia can affect your heart. ‘Anesthesia’ is a broad term that encompasses many things from medications to gasses to nerve blocks. Some medications have direct or indirect effects on your heart. Long-term, it is unlikely that any anesthetic agents would affect your heart, but the immediate consequences of certain things could be catastrophic depending on your underlying health and cardiac condition.