?

Fundamentally it's dangerous enough to knock you out, but not quite enough to kill you. Therefore, I'd avoid if given the choice.

It depends. Who is being knocked out?

Sure there are some gasmen (and women) on here.

Due to the introduction of sophisticated monitoring devices, better training, understanding of the physiologic effects of anesthetics and better transmission of information concerning causes of anesthesia mortality, the mortality rate has fallen into the range of 5-6 deaths/million anesthetic administrations.

So pretty safe. Compare that with, say driving to work and you'd help yourself more by never getting in your car than you would be never having a general anesthetic.

Hmmm, I'm supposed to be having a minor operation on Tuesday. This is right at the beginning of the season, every other time I've had an anaesthetic I've been rough for months afterwards. I'm probably not going to go.

Dangerous in what way and there are different types of GA. Sometimes you are paralysed ( and thus have to be ventilated) sometimes not, sometimes its for 5 mins sometimes for 12 hours

If you are in good health and the GA is done properly there risks are low but there. I am assuming you are having something done with a choice of GA or Local? Discuss it with the anaesthetist would be my advice

If you are in poor health then risks increase dramatically. However there is no simple answer – sorry

No, there is no choice, it's got to be a general and anyway, what they want to do is so revolting I couldn't possibly be awake for it.

Sorry, I know you deal with medical stuff all day but I am so squeamish that I was almost sick when I read the BUPA authorisation letter – yuk. In fact, when they took blood I broke out in a sweat, felt dizzy and mildly nauseous.

I'm not in poor health, the polar opposite actually – apart from a bad back and lots of sciatic pain, but that's not really 'health'.