Anesthesia Errors Can Lead to Serious Health Complications & Death

Making the decision to have surgery is usually difficult. You may weigh risks and benefits to having the procedure done, but what you might not have considered is the possibility of anesthesia errors.

General anesthesia is administered to patients having surgery to place them into an unconscious or semi-conscious state. While the patient is under anesthesia, the procedure can be done without pain. Even though anesthesia is thought to be a safe it does carry some risks. When anesthesia errors occur, the outcome can be catastrophic. Serious health complications, such as infection, kidney failure and other adverse affects, have been linked to anesthesia error.

There are many causes of anesthesia errors and one of the most frequent has to do with negligence on the part of the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist has the duty to carefully administer the correct dosage of anesthetic and to properly monitor you during the procedure. Sometimes anesthesiologists are negligent and they can be held liable for their actions. Some of the common anesthesia mistakes include the following:

Inadequate anesthesia monitoring. An anesthesiologist is supposed to closely monitor the patient. They should be regulating the patient’s level of consciousness and watching for signs of complications during anesthesia.

Wrong dosage of anesthesia. Serious health problems and cases of death have occurred when too much anesthesia was given to patients.

Anesthesia complications not recognized. If the anesthesiologist fails to recognize complications from anesthesia and does not, therefore, take the appropriate steps to help the patient, the outcome can be tragic.

Leaving the patient unattended. The anesthesiologist is supposed to closely watch the patient to prevent harm and should not leave the patient unattended.

Injury from intubation. During the procedure, the anesthesiologist usually intubates the patient to help them breath better. Injuries can occur during intubation.

Any of the above scenarios could lead to a Louisville medical malpractice case. If you have suffered from a medical error by an anesthesiologist, you need to contact a Louisville medical malpractice attorney immediately. You may be able to hold the anesthesiologist accountable and could be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries. Call the law office of Gray and White Law today at 1-502-210-8942 or 1-800-634-8767 for legal advice.