Anesthesia Errors: Malpractice and Hospital Liability

Every surgical procedure involving anesthesia carries with it some risks. Anesthesia is essentially a delicate balance of chemical administration designed to render a patient unconscious and unable to feel pain during a surgery. However, there are many risks posed by administration of anesthesia which must be managed precisely by a skilled anesthesiologist.

Any failure by an anesthesiologist to carefully select the anesthesia, monitor its effects on the patient and correctly adjust to any changes in vital signs, may be medical negligence leading to undue damage to the patient.

How Anesthesia Error Can Occur

There are a wide variety of ways an anesthesiologist can fail to perform to the medical standard of care. These range from overdose or dose errors, failure to monitor, inadequate delivery of oxygen, or intubation errors.

Dosage Errors

Proper administration of anesthesia requires a highly skilled anesthesiologist to evaluate the patient’s medical record and choose an appropriate mix of drugs for anesthesia. Errors can occur either in the pre-op patient evaluation or during the administration of anesthetics.

Failure to Monitor

During a surgical procedure, the anesthesiologist is located at the head of the bed for good reason. He/she is required to carefully monitor the patient throughout the surgery in order to adjust the drugs used in case of changes in the patient’s condition or vital signs. If an anesthesiologist leaves his or her post and the patient goes unmonitored, serious complications and injury may result.

Oxygen Delivery Errors

One of the most common anesthesia mistakes leading to patient injury or even death, is lack of oxygen delivery to the brain. During any surgical procedure, oxygen is supplied to the patient via oxygen tanks and tubes. If the combination of anesthetics and oxygen is incorrect, hypoxia (or anoxia in severe cases) can occur and can lead to serious permanent brain damage or even patient death.

Intubation Injury or Error

Often times, tracheal intubation will be performed to ensure adequate oxygen is delivered to the patient during surgery. In some cases, a failure to intubate can result in oxygen deprivation and brain damage. Alternatively, improper intubation may lead to tracheal or other injury to the patient.

Patient Compensation for Anesthesia Errors

Medical negligence in the form of inadequate anesthesia preparation or administration can often lead to serious injury or patient death. Medical malpractice laws afford patients and their family members the legal right to hold accountable the hospital or doctor for their mistake, by filing a medical malpractice claim.

Medical malpractice lawsuits are notoriously complicated and require a skilled, experienced medical malpractice lawyer to ensure patients receive the compensation they deserve. Most medical malpractice attorneys will offer victims of medical negligence a free consultation where they can explain their situation and receive qualified legal advice regarding the options.