Anesthesia Medical Malpractice

Many times, damages from surgical errors pale in comparison to those occurring due to an anesthesiologist’s error.  The application of anesthesia is the most dangerous facet of any surgery, not the use of the scalpel.  Even slight deviations and error by an anesthesiologist can lead to grave injuries and even death, which may result in an anesthesia medical malpractice lawsuit. 

Common Reasons Causing Anesthesia Medical Malpractice

Even with medical advances occurring each year, anesthesia medical malpractice results in one death for every 200,000 incidents annually.  The most common causes of anesthesia medical malpractice errors include: Overdose or administering wrong dose

• Failure to maintain patient’s vital signs
• Failure to inform patient of risk associated with activity prior to surgery, such as diet
• Improperly intubating patients
• Use of unsanitary or defective equipment
• Failure to investigate patient medical history for possible complications

Typical Types of Anesthesia

It is the anesthesiologists job to determine which form of anesthetic is right for your surgery.  The three variations of anesthesia application include:

• General anesthetic, which places to patient entirely unconscious with no memory of the procedure
• Regional anesthetic, which are used typically during labor and are the most common, are used to in an entire external portion of the body
• Local anesthetic, which numbs a small area of the body via spray, cream, or minor injections

Even the slightest mistake by an anesthesiologist can prove catastrophic.  Common injuries include collapsed lung, brain injuries, heart attacks, strokes, and even, death. 

Determining Whether Anesthesia Medical Malpractice Occurred

Proving negligence by an anesthesiologist is relatively difficult compared to other medical malpractice cases. Given the nature of most surgeries and patients being unconscious, determining an exact sequence of events is impossible without reviewing detailed documents related to your surgery.  These essential to any form of successful litigation over anesthesia medical malpractice.  Using an anesthesia medical malpractice lawyer, you may be able to recover compensation for:

• Medical costs
• Future medical costs, including corrective and rehabilitative procedures
• Long term disability and care
• Lost income
• Loss of consortium
• Diminished income earning capacity