Anesthesia plays a critical role in modern medicine, allowing patients to be rendered in a state where they can’t feel pain and, in some instances, cannot see or hear what is happening to them during surgery. While the use of anesthesia can have profound benefits for patients, it can also be extremely dangerous.
This is especially concerning given the prevalence of medical malpractice. Those who are negatively impacted by negligence in the use of anesthesia can suffer catastrophic injury, including extensive brain damage, and death.
How do anesthesia errors occur? Let’s dive in so that you have a better understanding of the risks associated with the use of this medical practice.
The causes of anesthesia errors
Anesthesiologists receive extensive education and training before being released to practice on patients. Yet even these well-trained medical professionals are susceptible to errors and mistakes that can be deadly for patients. Here are some anesthesia errors that they often make:
- Dosage errors: The amount of anesthesia that’s administered to a patient depends on multiple factors, including their weight, their response to the anesthesia, and any medical condition or history that puts the patient at risk. If a doctor provides a patient with a wrong dose of anesthesia, then a victim can suffer brain damage due to oxygen deprivation and other forms of harm.
- Failing to monitor: Anesthesia isn’t just given initially prior to surgery. Instead, it’s provided intermittently throughout your operation. This requires the doctor to carefully monitor your condition and adjust the amount of anesthesia being administered to you to ensure that you aren’t overly sedated. Again, if the doctor makes an error here, then you could be subjected to avoidable pain or, on the other hand, suffer extensive harm due to over-sedation.
- Shutting off equipment: A lot of operating room equipment has alarms to alert doctors when action needs to be taken. Sometimes, though, doctors turn these alarms off or silence them to avoid distraction. But this can cause them to miss key indicators of a dangerous situation, which could put you at risk of being significantly hurt.
- Miscommunicating: A safe and effective surgery requires skilled and clear communication among all medical professionals in the operating room. When signals are crossed or one member of the team is unclear, then costly errors can be made with you paying the price.
- Committing intubation errors: When you’re under anesthesia, your muscles become so relaxed that your mouth has to be kept open so that you can breathe. This is accomplished by intubating you. But when medical professionals commit error here, you can suffer extensive damage to your throat.
Again, any error related to anesthesia can prove deadly. But even if you’re lucky to survive medical malpractice, you can still be left with lifelong injuries. You don’t deserve that, which is why if you’ve been hurt by medical negligence, then you should consider taking legal action.
Hold errant medical professionals accountable for the harm they’ve caused
A medical malpractice claim may provide you with the closure, accountability, and compensation that you want and deserve. But building one of these cases can be trickier than it seems at first glance. That’s why it’s a good idea to start preparing your case early so that you have the evidence needed to present a strong case and can properly anticipate the defense’s arguments.
We know it’s a lot to consider, but don’t be afraid of the process. Instead, embrace it and fight for the outcome you need to protect your future.
