An anesthesiologist specializes in pain prevention and control. This doctor is a key surgical team member who is relied upon to prevent the patient from feeling pain and to keep the patient unconscious while monitoring and maintaining the patient’s vital signs.
Most healthy people undergoing surgery won’t have problems with general anesthesia. In fact, patients face a greater chance of complications from surgery than anesthesia, according to one medical study that looked at anesthesia-related deaths in the United States from 1995 to 2005. While many people may have mild, temporary symptoms, general anesthesia itself is normally safe.