“Is it ok to go under anesthesia with a cold?”
I am a 41 year old male. I want to know if it is ok to go under anesthesia with a cold?
5 Answers
AnesthesiologistAnesthesiologist
No you should be free of any symptoms of flu cold
Dr. J. Arthur Saus
Anesthesiologist
In the ideal world, it would be better to avoid general anesthesia whenever the patient has a "cold" or any other respiratory compromise situation. However, we all live in the "real world", and not in an "ideal world". Sometimes despite a "cold" or an upper respiratory situation that may present less than ideal situations, the best situation for the patient is to avoid delaying a surgical procedure. In that case, everyone has to simply make the best of a less than ideal situation, when the surgery is deemed urgent or emergent. For a purely elective surgical procedure, in my opinion, yes, it would certainly be better to wait until the patient does not have any symptoms of any respiratory compromise.
Only if it's an emergency. Elective procedures should be postponed
The main concern with general anesthesia involves the airway. If you are considerably congested (nose, trachea, or lungs), you may want to delay your procedure until your respiratory system is optimized.
No. Surgery must be cancelled. And you need to visit your general doctor for evaluation and consider chest therapy and antibiotics.
