| Name of Procedure | Risks |
|---|
| Adenoidectomy | - Bleeding
- Nasal speech
- Nasal regurgitation of food or liquids
|
| Anesthesia, general | - Abnormal reaction to drugs
- Injury to vocal cords or throat
- Injury to teeth, lips, and tongue
- Brain damage
- Malignant hyperthermia
|
| Angiography, cerebral | - Injury to the arteries entered
- Bleeding at the site of entry by catheter
- Stroke
- Blindness or brain damage
- Emboli to the brain
- Allergic reaction to the injected contrast medium
|
| Angiography, coronary | - Injury to the artery
- Damage to heart
- Mocardial infarction
- Possible need for open heart surgery
- Irregular heartbeat
- Bleeding at the site of entrance
- Allergic reaction to injected contrast medium
|
| Angioplasty | - Paraplegia
- Loss of extremity
- Bowel infarction
- Renal failure
|
| Aortic Dissection | - Stroke
- Renal failure
- Bowel infarction
- Paraplegia
- Death
|
| Aortic Graft | - Bleeding or Infection
- Infection or emboli
- Kidney failure or loss of limb
- Inadequate blood to bowel or spinal cord
- Myocardial infarction
- Sexual dysfunction
- Death
|
| Appendectomy | - Infection
- Bleeding
- Intra-abdominal abscess
- Leakage from the colon requiring colostomy
- Hernia in the incision
|
| Arteriovenous Shunt for Hemodialysis | - Bleeding or infection
- Damage blood vessel with risk of rupture
- Recurrent thrombosis
- Severe edema of extremity
- Inadequate blood supply to extremity
- Inadequate blood supply to nerves
|
| Birth of child | - Injury to bladder
- Injury to rectum
- Fistula between vagina and rectum
- Hemorrhage possibly requiring hysterectomy
- Brain damage to fetus
|
| Blood Transfusion | - Fever
- Kidney failure
- Heart failure
- Hepatitis
- AIDS
|
| Breast Augmentation | - Risks of use of silicon gel are excluded
- Scar formation around implant causing hard breast
- Deflation of implant
- Loss of sensation to the nipple and breast
- Persistent pain in breast
- Distortion of breast mound
- Leakage of implant contents
|
| Breast Biopsy, Excisional | - Infection and/or blood clot
- Failure to obtain accurate diagnosis
- Disfiguring scar
- Failure to locate and remove abnormality
|
| Cardiopulmonary Bypass | - Stroke
- Respiratory complications
- Kidney failure
- Death
|
| Carotid Endarterectomy | - Blood clots
- Infection
- Stroke
- Nerve injury causing mouth, throat, or tongue problems
- Myocardial infarction
- Death
|
| Cataract Surgery | - Loss of vision or decrease in vision
- Loss of eye
- Bleeding inside or behind eye
- Painful eye
- Droopy eyelid
|
| Catheterization, central venous | - Hemorrhage into chest cavity or elsewhere
- Pericardial tamponade (compression of heart)
- Cardiac arrest or stroke
- Collapse of lung
- Damage to blood vessels
- Infusion of fluid into chest cavity
|
| Cervix, Removal | - Uncontrollable leakage of urine
- Injury to the bladder
- Injury to the bowel or intestinal obstruction
- Injury to the urethra
- Sterility
- Pulmonary embolism
|
| Cholecystectomy | - Pancreatitis
- Injury to the bile duct
- Retained stones in the bile duct
- Narrowing of the bile duct
- Injury to the bowel
|
| Coarctation of Aorta | - Quadriplegia or paraplegia
- Permanent hoarseness
- Leakage of body fluid from intestines into chest
- Loss of bowel and/or bladder function
- Impotence in males
|
| Colon Surgery | - Infection of the incision
- Intra-abdominal abscess
- Leakage from colon and possible colostomy
- Injury to other organs or blood vessels
- Diarrhea, sometimes permanent
- Formation of scar tissue causing intestinal blockage
- Hernia in incision
|
| Colonoscopy | - Infection or bleeding
- Perforation of colon or rectal wall
- Cardiac arrhythmias
|
| Dental Implants | - Infection, bleeding, failure to heal
- Permanent and disfiguring scarring
- Premature loss of implant, or mobility
- Loss of bone
- Numbness of face or mouth
- Fracture of jaw
- Injury to adjacent teeth or sinus
|
| Dilation and Curettage | - Hemorrhage with possible hysterectomy
- Perforation of the uterus
- Injury to the bowel or bladder
- Sterility
|
| Ear Tubes | - Persistent infection
- Perforation of eardrum or cyst behind the eardrum
- Need to surgically remove tubes
|
| Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio Pancreatogram (ERCP) | - Infection
- Perforation of esophagus, stomach, or intestines
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Pancreatic inflammation
|
| Endoscopy, abdominal | - Puncture of the bowel or blood vessel
- Abdominal infection
- Operation to correct injury
- Injury to urethra
- Injury to bladder
|
| Epidural, spinal | - Abnormal reaction to drugs
- Leakage of cerebrospinal fluid
- Epidural blood clot or abscess
- Broken needles or catheters
- Incomplete analgesia
- Back pain and/or paralysis
- Severe headaches
|
| Femoral Bypass Grafts | - Bleeding requiring re-operation
- Necrosis of skin around incision
- Thrombi or emboli
- Limb loss
- Nerve damage
- Myocardial infarction
- Death
|
| Fibroid Removal (Uterine myomectomy) | - Uncontrollable leakage of urine
- Injury to bladder
- Injury to the urethra
- Injury to the bowel and/or intestinal obstruction
- Sterility
- Pulmonary embolism
|
| Gastrectomy or Phloroplasty | - Infection of incision or inside abdomen
- Bleeding requiring transfusion
- Leakage from stomach
- Inability to maintain weight
- Chronic vomiting after eating
- Diarrhea and need for vitamin B-12 injections
- Recurrence of condition for which surgery was done
|
| Hemodialysis | - Hypotension, hemorrhage, sepsis, cardiac arrhythmias
- Allergic reaction to tubing and dialyzer
- Pulmonary edema
- Air bubbles in the bloodstream
- Seizure, hypothermia, fever
- Viral infections such as HIV
- Cardiac arrest
|
| Hemorrhoidectomy | - Bleeding
- Post operative pain, especially with bowel movements
- Temporary/permanent difficulty controlling bowels or gas
- Recurrence of hemorrhoids
- Narrowing of anal opening requiring repeated dilations
|
| Hernia Repair | - Infection
- Bleeding
- Recurrence of hernia
- Injury to or loss of testicle or spermatic cords
- Nerve injury resulting in numbness or chronic pain
|
| Hysterectomy, abdominal or vaginal | - Uncontrollable leakage of urine
- Injury to bladder
- Injury to urethra
- Injury to the bowel and/or intestinal obstruction
- Painful intercourse
- Ovarian failure requiring hormone administration
- Formation of fistula between vagina and rectum
|
| Kidney Stone Lithotripsy | - Bleeding in or around kidney
- Obstruction of kidney by stone particles
- Failure to completely fragment stones
- High blood pressure
- Loss of kidney
|
| Liver Biopsy | - Bleeding
- Lung collapse
- Internal leakage of bile
- Puncture of other organs
|
| Lumpectomy | - Infection or blood clot
- Disfiguring scar
- Fluid collection in arm pit
- Numbness to arm
- Swelling of arm
- Damage to nerves of arm or chest
- Recurrence of cancer
|
| Mastectomy, radical | - Limitation of movement of shoulder or arm
- Swelling of the arm
- Loss of skin requiring graft
- Failure to eradicate the malignancy
- Injury to major blood vessel
|
| Oral Surgery | - Infection, bleeding, failure to heal
- Injury to adjacent teeth
- Numbness of face and/or mouth
- Fracture of either jaw
- Opening between mouth and sinus or nose
- Tooth fragment in sinus
- Dry socket
|
| Penile Implant | - Bleeding and infection
- Penile pain or numbness
- Injury to bladder or urethra
- Problems with implantable prosthetic
|
| Prostatectomy | - Bleeding and/or infection
- Injury to bladder, urethra, or rectum
- Impotence
- Retrograde ejaculation
- Bladder blockage
- Incontinence
|
| Radial Keratotomy | - Loss of vision or decrease in vision
- Loss of eye
- Variable vision
- Radiating images around lights
- Over or under correction
- Cataract formation
- Retained need for glasses
|
| Radiation Therapy, Head/neck - Initial Reaction | - Altered sense of smell, taste, or nausea
- Difficulty swallowing, weight loss, fatigue
- Hoarseness, cough, loss of voice
- Hearing loss, dizziness
- Dry and irritable eyes
- Increased risk of infection and/or bleeding
- Intensified by chemotherapy
|
| Radiation Therapy, head/neck - Late Reaction | - Tooth decay and gum changes
- Bone damage in jaws
- Hair loss, scarring of skin
- Swelling of tissues under chin
- Brain, spinal cord or nerve damage
- Pituitary or thyroid gland damage
- Second cancers developing
|
| Radiation Therapy, Thorax - Initial Reaction | - Skin changes, hair loss on the chest
- Inflammation of the esophagus, heart sac, or lungs
- Bleeding or fistula from tumor destruction
- Intermittent electric shock-like feeling in the lower body
- Increased risk of infection or bleeding
- Intensified by chemotherapy
|
| Radiation Therapy, Thorax - Late Reaction | - Changes in skin texture, scarring, hair loss
- Lung scarring or shrinkage
- Narrowing of esophagus
- Constriction of heart sac
- Damage to heart muscle or arteries
- Fracture of ribs
- Spinal cord or liver damage
|
| Radical Mastectomy | - Limitation of shoulder or arm movement
- Swelling of the arm
- Loss of the skin of the chest
- Failure to completely eradicate the malignancy
- Decreased sensation or numbness
- Injury to major blood vessels
|
| Renal Biopsy | - Injury to adjacent organs
- Infection
- Hypotension
- Bleeding from the kidney
- Intestinal perforation
|