BOPDHB Patient Resources Hip and Knee joint replacement book - June 2016 | Page 21

You will be unconscious during your operation.
Risks
Common side-effects (<1 in 100) include headache, sore throat,
feeling sick or vomiting, dizziness, bladder problems, damage to
the lips or tongue, temporary confusion or memory loss, aches and
pains and bruising/soreness.
Uncommon side-effects (<1 in 1000) include chest infection,
muscle pains, damage to teeth, becoming conscious during your
operation, slow breathing and existing medical conditions getting
worse.

Before coming to hospital

Advantages

Rare side effects (less than 1 in 10,000+) include damage to the
eyes, serious drug allergy, nerve damage, equipment failure, heart
attack, stroke or death.

Spinal anaesthesia
A measured dose of local anaesthetic is injected into the area of
the back that contains spinal fluid using a very small needle. The
injection is generally well tolerated and will make you go numb from
the waist down. This means you will feel no pain, though you will
remain conscious. A screen will shield the operation so you will not
see the operation unless you want to. Your anaesthetist is always
near you and you can speak to them whenever you want to.
If you prefer, you can also have drugs that make you feel sleepy
and relaxed (sedation). This will mean you will not be aware of
what is happening during surgery though you may hear the noises
of what is going on around you.
Advantages
This generally provides better pain relief, and as such you do not
need so much strong pain relieving medicine in the first 24 hours
after the operation.
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