General Anesthetic side effects compared: 6 drugs, 52,545 FDA adverse event reports
Members
| Drug | FAERS reports | Serious | Death outcome | Boxed warning | Top labeled signals | Unlabeled (unassessed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Propofol | 36,320 | 94% | 4,932 | – | Propofol infusion syndrome; Delayed recovery from anaesthesia; Intensive care unit acquired weakness | Anaphylactic shock; Hyperthermia malignant |
| Sevoflurane | 8,262 | 95% | 557 | – | Hyperthermia malignant; Delayed recovery from anaesthesia; Hypercapnia | Anaesthetic complication neurological; Unwanted awareness during anaesthesia |
| Etomidate | 2,215 | 92% | 477 | – | Bradycardia; Myoclonus; Respiratory depression | Renal failure; Injury |
| Etomidate | 2,114 | 92% | 444 | – | Bradycardia; Myoclonus; Respiratory depression | Renal failure; Injury |
| Isoflurane | 1,935 | 94% | 299 | – | Hypotension; Renal failure; Injury | Fear; Renal impairment |
| Desflurane (Suprane) | 1,699 | 95% | 112 | – | Hypotension; Bradycardia; Cardiac arrest | Anaphylactic shock; Serotonin syndrome |
Class-wide signals (flagged in at least 3 of 6 members)
| Reaction | Members flagged | Median PRR | Reports (sum) | In label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-organ failure | 4/6 | 54.6 | 304 | 0/4 members' labels |
| Anaphylactic shock | 4/6 | 37.4 | 2,354 | 0/4 members' labels |
| Ventricular fibrillation | 4/6 | 30.3 | 124 | 2/4 members' labels |
| Ventricular tachycardia | 4/6 | 18.5 | 119 | 2/4 members' labels |
| Shock | 4/6 | 18.1 | 146 | 1/4 members' labels |
| Myoclonus | 4/6 | 18.0 | 83 | 3/4 members' labels |
| Bronchospasm | 4/6 | 17.6 | 125 | 2/4 members' labels |
| Bradycardia | 4/6 | 15.6 | 342 | 4/4 members' labels |
| Metabolic acidosis | 4/6 | 11.8 | 189 | 1/4 members' labels |
| Fear | 3/6 | 50.0 | 402 | 0/3 members' labels |
| Renal injury | 3/6 | 39.5 | 354 | 1/3 members' labels |
| Anhedonia | 3/6 | 38.6 | 307 | 0/3 members' labels |
| Serotonin syndrome | 3/6 | 25.5 | 172 | 0/3 members' labels |
| Injury | 3/6 | 23.5 | 491 | 1/3 members' labels |
| Muscle rigidity | 3/6 | 19.1 | 69 | 1/3 members' labels |
| Respiratory depression | 3/6 | 18.6 | 68 | 2/3 members' labels |
| Cardiac arrest | 3/6 | 16.8 | 388 | 1/3 members' labels |
| Renal failure | 3/6 | 16.0 | 614 | 1/3 members' labels |
| Stress | 3/6 | 14.2 | 297 | 0/3 members' labels |
| Renal impairment | 3/6 | 13.6 | 338 | 0/3 members' labels |
| Renal failure acute | 3/6 | 13.6 | 175 | 1/3 members' labels |
| Status epilepticus | 3/6 | 13.2 | 112 | 0/3 members' labels |
| Brain oedema | 3/6 | 11.7 | 43 | 1/3 members' labels |
| Disseminated intravascular coagulation | 3/6 | 9.8 | 44 | 0/3 members' labels |
| Tachypnoea | 3/6 | 9.5 | 43 | 0/3 members' labels |
Member-specific signals (flagged in exactly one drug)
| Reaction | Drug | Reports | PRR | Label screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Propofol infusion syndrome | Propofol | 618 | 4,449.0 | Labeled adverse reaction |
| Trigemino-cardiac reflex | Propofol | 58 | 1,434.2 | Not in label — unassessed |
| Intensive care unit acquired weakness | Propofol | 78 | 148.4 | Labeled (related wording) |
| Diabetes insipidus | Sevoflurane | 88 | 95.7 | Not in label — unassessed |
| Necrosis ischaemic | Propofol | 56 | 79.4 | Not in label — unassessed |
| Anaphylactoid shock | Propofol | 55 | 77.0 | Not in label — unassessed |
| Laryngospasm | Sevoflurane | 68 | 65.7 | Labeled adverse reaction |
| Tryptase increased | Propofol | 71 | 64.7 | Not in label — unassessed |
| Hypercapnia | Sevoflurane | 71 | 61.7 | Labeled adverse reaction |
| Anaphylactic reaction | Desflurane | 59 | 13.3 | Not in label — unassessed |
| Tachycardia | Desflurane | 56 | 7.8 | Labeled adverse reaction |
Common questions
Which general anesthetic has the most FDA adverse event reports?
Propofol has the most FAERS co-reports in this class (36,320), followed by Sevoflurane (8,262). Report volume tracks how widely and how long a drug has been used, and how much attention it has had, far more than its risk.
Which side effects are shared across general anesthetic drugs?
Reaction terms flagged in at least half of the 6 members include multi-organ failure, anaphylactic shock, ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, shock. A term shared across a class usually reflects the shared mechanism (or the shared patient population) rather than one product.
Does a FAERS signal mean the drug causes the reaction?
No. These are disproportionality signals from voluntary reports with no denominator. Each is screened against the FDA label (known vs unlabeled) on the drug pages; causality needs temporality, dose-response, plausibility and trial or cohort evidence.
Sources: openFDA FAERS pair statistics (OpenPV build 2026-09-14), FDA labels via openFDA, seriousness and death counts from openFDA count queries. Generated 2026-10-08. Not medical advice.