Anesthesia Errors during Surgery and Anesthesia Malpractice You should be Aware Of

When a person undergoes a surgical procedure, no matter how simple or complex, there is always a chance of risk. The risk stems not just from the medical procedure, but also from the process of administering anesthesia and patient care.

The anesthesiologist has a fantastic responsibility of not just ensuring that the patient receives the right amount of anesthesia but also to monitor the patient throughout the surgery keeping their vital signs favorable. Here's something you should know - human error is the cause of almost 82% of anesthesia complications!

Why do anesthesia errors happen?

Error in anesthesia medication and error in proper monitoring of the patient under anesthesia are the two types of anesthesia malpractices you should be aware of. These errors could be caused either by the rush to move patients through the procedure, associated high insurance costs and also because medical staff these days work long hours and are overworked, thus prone to make mistakes.

No matter what the reason may be, if an anesthesiologist fails to perform his tasks properly the results may be fatal and this is inexcusable. Someone needs to be accountable for the physical, emotional, and psychological injury a person encounters because of negligent administration of anesthesia or improper monitoring.

Common areas of anesthesia malpractice you should be aware of:

· Half or incomplete understanding of procedure requirements by anesthesiologist

· Communication errors in the surgical room

· Inadequate amount of anesthesia administered to keep patient sedated

· Overdose of anesthesia that could cause complications or turn fatal

· Delayed delivery of anesthesia during the procedure

· Inadequate intubation or failed intubation

· Longer than intended sedation time

· Negligent monitoring of patients vital signs

· Failure to prevent easily avoidable allergic reactions

· Complications due to drug interaction

· Failure to react to or prevent medication difficulties

· Errors in handling equipment: Turning off alarms, keeping concentrated oxygen near hot devices.

What is Anesthesia Awareness? Typically, every patient undergoing surgery is administered three drugs by the anesthesiologist. First, a sedative that puts the patient into a deep sleep; second he is given a painkiller to ease the discomfort and pain of surgery and last of all, the patient is given a paralytic medication to prevent him from moving during surgery.

If on some account the anesthesia fails, the paralytic medication stops the patient from communicating with the medical team. Imagine being fully aware of what's going on around you during a surgery, and even feeling the pain!! This is a truly horrifying experience which could haunt a person for the rest of their lives. People who have undergone anesthesia awareness usually suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and may need extensive therapy to rid them of this fear.

Medical malpractice injuries that could occur due to anesthesia errors:

Anesthetics deeply affect body systems and organs, so an error could severely affect medical bills as well as cause permanent injury, or death. Anesthetic error can cause the following medical malpractice injuries:

· Anaphylaxis

· Anesthesia awareness

· Birth defects

· Brain aneurism

· Cardiac arrest

· Cardiovascular injury

· Coma

· Hypertension

· Lack of oxygen

· Loss of bodily function

· Loss of memory

· Myocardial infarction

· Partial or complete brain damage

· Pulmonary aspiration

· Spinal cord injury leading to paralysis

· Stroke

· Tracheal damage

· Wrongful death

Medical malpractice injuries or deaths due to anesthesia error can be quite difficult to prove. If you or a family member has suffered any type of anesthesia complication then you ARE entitled to compensation. Thus you need a highly skilled, committed, and experienced team of lawyers who can fight to bring you justice. Contact the law firm of Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff, LLP at 212-344-1000 for a free consultation and confidential case evaluation.

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