Medical Malpractice Cases Regarding Anesthesia Errors

Individuals can be very seriously injured if they receive inappropriate care from an anesthesiologist. What is interesting about anesthesiologists is that they are the only doctors that have no requirement to submit a full written report after a surgery. Anesthesiologists usually take a few moments before surgery to speak with the patient about what to expect because they are in charge of the entire control medication during that surgery. They are there to ensure that you, as a helpless patient, are treated properly. There are many different errors that an anesthesiologist can make during a surgery due to negligent and reckless acts. The most common are listed below:

• Failing to investigate the patient’s medical history to see if they would have any complications outside of the anesthesiologist’s control.
• Failing to inform the patient of all risks involved with the surgery.
• Failing to closely monitor the patient’s vitals for any distress signals.
• If a patient loses oxygen during surgery, which can be one of the worst outcomes of improper anesthesiology, this can be grounds for a medical negligence case as well.
• If the anesthesiologist in charge of putting the intubation tube down the patient’s throat does not do so with the proper care, it can cause irreversible damage to the patient’s trachea and esophagus. This is usually due to improper training.
• If the intubation tube is not placed correctly, the patient can suffer from aspiration. Aspiration means that the stomach contents come up and are breathed directly into the airways. The problem is that when a patient is sedated, they have no control over what goes down their airway or into their stomach. So when a patient throws up during a surgery, when they breathe in it goes straight into their lungs.
• If a patient is given too much anesthetic, they can suffer from hypoxia. This is a lack of oxygen and is the very worst thing that can happen to a patient. This can lead to permanent brain injuries, and in many cases, even death.

Anesthesia injuries, which can be catastrophic to patients, occur in hospitals as a result of things beyond the patient’s control very often. When a patient goes into a hospital, regardless if it is for elective surgery (which is a surgery scheduled far in advance) or non-elective surgery, they expect to be taken care of properly without any complications. Sadly, this is not the case with anesthesiology medical malpractice cases.

Contact an Attorney

If you experienced any anesthesia errors during your surgery, or have a family member that did, you should definitely consider contacting a medical malpractice attorney today such as the medical malpractice lawyer Salt Lake City UT locals turn to. The initial consultation is often free, and can provide you with a lot of information on how to go about your case. The attorney will look at all of your concerns and paperwork and can tell you if you have a strong enough case to pursue it. They will fight to ensure that you receive the fair and just reimbursement that you deserve, including lost wages, medical expenses, and pain and suffering compensation.

Thanks to authors at Rasmussen & Miner for their insight into Personal Injury Law.