Operations

There is no specific risk in having a general anaesthetic. However, it is important that the anaesthetist knows that you have mitochondrial disease as sometimes patients require additional assessments of  breathing, swallowing or cardiac function. The anaesthetist can then make a better judgement of any potential risk and advise you accordingly. We also recommend that you notify your specialist as soon as possible before any planned operation so that any potential risks can be identified. In some cases it may be possible to understand more about your mitochondrial disease by looking at any tissue removed at operation. To do this your specialist would need to obtain your consent and speak to your surgeon well before the surgery.