“Is anesthesia risky for a COPD patient?”

Anesthesia is safe in cases of COPD

There are different degrees of COPD and the anesthesiologist takes that into account when discussing the risks of anesthesia with you. If it is mild COPD, there will usually not be any consequences, on the other hand if the COPD is severe and the patient requires supplemental oxygen to function, then the anesthesia and post operative period have additional risks.

Depends on the surgery and the anesthesia type. We are experienced at treating COPD patients under anesthesia to get them through safely.

There is always some level of risk but if his disease state is medically managed and is optimal, he should be able to have an anesthetic safely. Of course, given the type of surgery it can have an impact on him, if his lung function is poor. I have done plenty of anesthetics for patients with COPD and they have done well. The risk seems to be greater in the postoperative period given that they have a slightly increased risk of pulmonary complications as they have chronic secretions which are harder to clear and their physiology is not normal. One should not forget, if the lung disease is significant, the type of surgery may lend itself to other types of anesthetics besides general anesthesia. Some surgeries can be performed with sedation and local anesthesia. Other surgeries can be done with nerve blocks with sedation. Finally, there is spinal or epidural anesthesia. Keep in mind that sedation can be light or conscious sedation, it can be moderate sedation where the patient is still arousable and then there is deep sedation where the patient remains unconscious during the procedure. Sedation is not sufficient for surgery, if local anesthesia or a nerve block is not performed in conjunction with the sedation. If the surgery is performed with intravenous sedation only, then its still general anesthesia and very likely that the patient will have some type of airway device inserted in their throat, though it may not be a "breathing tube" otherwise known as an endotracheal tube.

COPD is an important condition which a physician anesthesiologist should be informed of before caring for your son. Board certified physician anesthesiologists know how to plan for patients with COPD to minimize risks.

Yes. Depending on the severity, the nature of surgery and co-morbidities, the risk escalates.

Any patients that have COPD will be at risk, but risk will always be related to the surgery being done and they type of anesthesia needed.