“Is it safe to go under general anesthesia with COPD?”
My father has severe COPD. He needs to have knee replacement surgery soon and I'm concerned about the anesthesia due to his breathing condition. Is anesthesia safe for him during surgery?
1 Answer
AnesthesiologistGeneralAnesthesia
The safest option would be for him to have neuraxial anesthesia with light sedation or no sedation which is having a procedure called a spinal placed so he is numb from the chest down to his toes for just the procedure but his breathing is unaffected. He should have this performed in a hospital with advanced care capabilities to be able to take care of him should he have an exacerbation of his COPD while in the hospital or during the procedure. Having an Anesthesiologist perform his case would also be preferred.