When you or your loved one went for surgery, you never expected that an anesthesia error would occur, leading to serious consequences like brain injury or even death. Unfortunately, anesthesia errors are some of the most common and serious forms of medical malpractice. When they do occur, you may be able to get compensation for the effects, including lost wages and additional medical bills.
To learn whether you can get compensation for your injury or loss with an anesthesia error claim, please contact AccidentAttorneys.org today.
What Are Anesthesia Errors?
Anesthesia errors are one of the more serious forms of medical malpractice.
There are three main types of anesthesia: local, regional, and general. In local anesthesia, only local tissues are affected. In regional anesthesia, certain nerves are blocked, preventing pain in a region of the body. With these two types of anesthesia, errors tend to be minor. Because the patient can report errors, these amount only to minor pain before the error is corrected.
In general anesthesia, the entire body is placed in a state of depressed function. Breathing is suppressed, and the patient is not conscious, which means they cannot report problems. Instead, the patient should be closely monitored to ensure they are breathing properly and remain correctly sedated.
Anesthesia errors occur when patients suffer injury or death as a result of improper procedures in the operating room.
Types of Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia errors may include:
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Failure to properly monitor oxygen, resulting in anoxic (oxygen-deprived) brain injury
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Improper administration of anesthesia, resulting in death
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Improper administration of oxygen, resulting anoxic brain injury
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Improper insertion of anesthesia equipment, resulting in injury to the throat
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Too little anesthesia resulting in awareness during surgery
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Failure to identify high-risk candidates
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Failure to prepare for anesthesia complications like stroke and thrombosis
The consequences of anesthesia error are often serious and life-threatening.
Causes of Anesthesia Errors
The majority of anesthesia errors are caused by simple human error. The reasons for anesthesia errors include:
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Too little personnel or the absence of an anesthesiologist
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Too much hurry in the operating room
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A lack of communication in the operating room
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A culture where nurses are not allowed to speak up about errors
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Lack of awareness on the part of the individual doctor
Many of these causes are endemic to the hospital where the error occurs. The hospital has set up a culture where many things come before patient safety: profit, schedules, and the privilege of the doctor.
Correcting Cultural Errors at a Hospital
Your medical malpractice lawsuit can lead to important compensation for you. It can help you pay bills, including additional medical expenses related to the anesthesia error. But it can do more than that.
When anesthesia errors are due to cultural shortcomings at a hospital, a medical malpractice lawsuit can serve as a warning and motivator to hospital administrators, who often focus on the profitability of the institution. By forcing them to pay for their mistakes, your medical malpractice lawsuit may lead to cultural changes and help protect future problems.
For help pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit, please contact AccidentAttorneys.org today.
