Help docs, is high blood pressure a potential risk if i'm having surgery that requires anesthesia?

Maybe: It's important to make sure that all health problems such as high blood pressure are well controlled before you have surgery or anesthesia. Your physician anesthesiologist has medications available to treat high blood pressure if necessary during and after surgery. It rarely causes any serious problems, though heart attack and stroke risk are higher for high BP patients. See your primary MD.

Yes: If your blood pressure is uncontrolled and your surgery is elective I would suggest postponing the procedure. If the procedure were an emergency, then BP could be controlled intraoperatively. There would still be increased risk for a hypertensive crisis, heart attack, or stroke.