Number Of General Anesthesia Operations Per Year in the United States

Depending on who you talk to, general anesthesia is either one of the GREATEST or WORST parts of heart valve surgery.

I can see both sides. On one hand, general anesthesia is great because your pain receptors are numb. On the other hand, general anesthesia can be scary for patients because your brain and body are, quite frankly, paralyzed. Plus, there are many patients, nurses and doctors which suggest that general anesthesia may have some lingering effects on the brain and body that are not all positive.

As for me, I opted to value the benefits of general anesthesia during my aortic valve replacement. I am aware that some patients are now having open heart surgery while awake but, for me, I didn’t want that experience.

Recently, I was asked the question, “How many patients receive general anesthesia each year during any type of surgery?”

It’s an interesting question.

After doing some research, which included watching the movie “Awake” starring Jessica Alba, I learned that approximately 21 million patients will be under general anesthesia each year. FYI, that number is for all surgery types, not just cardiac-related operations.

Keep on tickin!