“Does anesthesia take years off your life?”

As far as I know, no. There has not been any study published that concluded that anesthesia shortens one's life expectancy.

Based on our current knowledge, no. Obviously, sicker patients have more surgery so it is difficult to be certain. We know from the emergency surgery data that it appears to have no measurable effect on longevity. We also know that you could expire prematurely from not having surgery. When considering a procedure, at least in the United States, we are required to inform you of the risks, benefits, and alternatives. Patients have autonomy and are allowed to make what we might consider ‘bad’ choices, but there do not appear to be any long term effects from anesthesia

Definitely not. Effects of surgery and anesthesia are hard to quantitate. An elderly person is affected much more than a younger person. Certain elderly patients can be very affected by the process, but not “years off your life.”

As a specialty, we are creating protocols for “enhanced recovery from surgery.” This involved adequate hydration with certain fluids, premedications and regional anesthesia when appropriate.

I hope this helps!

Dr. Astbury, MD, FASA, FACC, FASE, MSBE, MSEE

Absolutely not