Anesthesia despite or with a cold

General

There is always a certain risk associated with anesthesia, so it is important to consult the anesthetist (anesthetist) to inform about any abnormalities, illnesses or a cold. For this purpose, the anesthetist who is present at the operation always talks to the patient before each operation to explain the risks and possible complications.
Normally, anesthesia surgery involves very little risk, but it is important that the patient is completely honest and open with the anesthetist so that he or she has accurate information about how the patient is feeling and what their concerns may be .

Anesthesia despite a cold is usually possible, but this depends on the person Type and length of the operation and on the severity of the cold. Again, neither does the Symptoms of the common cold too bad or too good because a cold under anesthesia could become a problem if the anesthetist was not properly informed.

When you have a cold, the respiratory tract of the patient and the glands in the lung increased slimy secretion form. This slimy secretion (known as cough slime) and the swollen airways can cause the patient bad breath or feels like he's constantly must cough. Of course, these are not ideal conditions for an operation.

As long as the cold is kept within limits, anesthesia is almost no problem at all, despite a cold. Still, the swollen airways and thick mucus can pose some risk, especially if it increases during surgery possible complicationsn comes and the patient may put a ventilation tube into the windpipe must get laid (Intubation). Since such complications are very rare during an operation, even severe colds are not really a problem, but doctors are very careful and have to take into account every possible risk and deviation.
Most operations under general anesthetic However, ventilation is planned from the start. Accordingly, an anesthetic is included severe cold not appropriate, as complications during the operation would only cause unnecessary problems.

Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that a patient who only has one mild to moderate cold has nevertheless received an anesthetic, since today's medicine is so advanced that the common cold no obstacle or greater risk represents. In particular, otherwise healthy patients should mention the common cold to the anesthetist, but should not worry as it will not interfere with the operation.

However, if the cold worsens acutely before the operation or if the patient feels that his breathing has deteriorated significantly due to the anesthesia, the operation can also be postponed a day or two so that the patient can regain his strength before he himself Undergoes surgery. This can especially be the case with larger and longer-lasting operations or with operations in which the patient has to be ventilated with a ventilator.
In this case, even a moderate cold can pose a certain risk, which is why it is better to wait until the cold has subsided and then start the operation.

Anesthesia for fever and cold

It looks different, however, if the patient does not have a simple cold with something sniff and malaise has, but when he's additionally over Body aches and above all about fever and Sweats complains.
Fever always puts an enormous strain on the body, as more energy is consumed and the body goes at full speed. This condition is for an operation not wanted. Anesthesia despite a cold is not a problem, but anesthesia for a fever is one double burden for the body.
Especially a longer one general anesthetic exposes the body to increased stress over a longer period of time. If the fever is then added, this means that the body has one enormous effort must afford to get back in one healthy balance to commute.

For this reason, the patient should always additionally have anesthesia before surgery if they have a cold Measure a fever and pay attention to the temperature in order to inform the anesthetist if necessary so that he knows and then possibly postpone the operation for a few days until the fever again decreased is.

It is always important to be absolutely open to the doctors. If you notice a day before the operation that you are not feeling well and that you are not confident in the anesthesia because of the cold, you should definitely do so communicate quickly and clearly. Most hospitals have a very strict operation plan that is tried as meticulously as possible.
It is therefore important for patients to let them know as early as possible if they cannot get one because of the cold anesthesia and related surgery able to feel.
At the same time, you should also be able to assess yourself well. A cold is to be distinguished from one slight runny nosewho definitely no contraindication for an operation under general anesthesia.

What are the risks of anesthesia despite a cold?

A cold can cause the patient's airways to swell up significantly. In this case, the introduction of the ventilation hose (tube) into the windpipe is made more difficult for the doctor.

Read more on the topic: Intubation anesthesia

Usually it is based on special devices (Fiberoptic intubation) still possible. In addition, a cold with acute inflammation of the airways leads to a very sensitive bronchial system. This significantly increases the risk of bronchospasm (cramping of the bronchial muscles), especially in children.

This makes ventilation more difficult, but it can still take place. The susceptibility of the nasopharynx continues four to six weeks after the cold has subsided. If the immune system is severely weakened as a result of the common cold, this can impair recovery and wound healing after the operation.

allergy

A allergy on the other hand, should also not start with a simple cold be confused, as in this case medication may be required before, during or after the operation to prevent the patient from having any allergic attack suffers.
Usually an allergy (except of course an allergy to Anestheticsas with the Malignant hyperthermia), as well as no cold, are not a problem with anesthesia.

Anesthesia despite a cold in a toddler

A anesthesia can be carried out on children or toddlers despite having a cold, especially when it is a minor or absolutely necessary procedure.
The common cold only becomes a problem if it interferes with the child's breathing or if the cold causes severe airway swelling.
In this case it is possible that the airways are so swollen from the cold that ventilation of the child during the operation would only be possible under difficult conditions.
If this is the case, the anesthesia should only be performed on the child or toddler, despite a cold, if it is absolutely necessary.

If it is a planned operation or an operation that can be postponed easily, it is better to wait a few days until the cold has completely subsided and the swelling of the airways has receded enough that a Ventilation (Intubation) is possible again without problems.

In general, however, it is important to have a simple sniff not with one cold to be confused.
If the child has a bit of a cold, an anesthesia is easily possible despite a cold in the child or toddler and does not involve any complications.
Having a real cold with elevated temperature and purulent expectoration (slimy cough), on the other hand, is associated with an increased rate of complications, which is why anesthesia should not be performed on children or toddlers despite having a cold. As it is often difficult for the parents to tell how sick the child really is and to what extent this could represent an increased rate of complications in the operation, it is important to first speak to the anesthetist (Anesthetists) Clarify exactly how long the child has had the symptoms and how they are expressed.

The anesthetist can then look into the throat (Pharynx) Assess how much the airways are swollen and whether anesthesia is possible without problems or whether the operation, if possible, should be postponed.
Since some emergency operations, such as acute appendicitis, an acute Appendicitis with the risk of rupturing the appendix (perforation), it is important that the parents know that the anesthesia usually goes without any problems and that a successful operation is possible despite the difficult conditions.

Often times, the child is not intubated during a short procedure, so there is no ventilation tube placed in the neck, but only a kind of mask at the beginning of the windpipe.
This form of ventilation and anesthesia is possible without any problems. Nevertheless, the anesthetist should always assess whether he considers the operation so urgent that anesthesia should take place or whether it would be more advisable to postpone the operation.

Anesthesia for lung diseases

Even patients who have a chronic lung disease to have (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD for short) or under severe conditions asthma should definitely mention this to the anesthetist. This can then decide whether an anesthesia despite a cold that the lung yes once again burdened, is really useful and safe. Mostly, however, the common cold is anesthetized no problem represents more.

Summary

In summary, it can be said that it is always important to be on his health status Before an operation to pay attention to the doctor any new symptoms that appear to communicate. An easy and also a medium difficulty cold Nowadays, anesthesia is no longer a problem as long as the patient feels otherwise fit and none chronic previous illnesses which would put additional strain on the airways (asthma, Cystic fibrosis, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…).

However, if the cold worsens acutely or comes on fever, severe malaise or Body aches added is the doctor to inform immediatelyso that the operation plan can be changed and the operation can be postponed by a few days until the patient is so well again that he feels strong enough for an anesthetic despite a cold and has the feeling that he is again breathe freely to be able to.

In general, that Wellbeing of the patient comes first.This means that if a patient feels incapable of anesthesia due to the common cold, the doctor must take this into account, may be able to encourage and persuade the patient, but will accept the patient's decision.