Anesthesia Mistakes Can Be Serious

The use of anesthesia on patients is a common practice in surgical procedures, and it effectively minimizes discomfort during surgery for the out-of-commission patient. However, such strong drugs with such powerful effects do not come without inherent risks that can become dangerous when a mistake is made in administering them to a patient.

If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries due to an anesthesia mistake, discuss your options with an attorney right away.

How Anesthesia Can Injure Patients

Anesthesia is an inherently risky part of any surgery and requires an anesthesiologist to administer and monitor the effects on the patient. Prior to any medical procedure requiring anesthesia, this specialist should review the patient’s medical record. They are also required to review the patient’s history, prior medications, allergies, and time requirements of the operation to determine the best combination of drugs to use.

There is some level of risk involved with any procedure requiring anesthesia, but negligence can increase the chances of something going wrong. Although errors can be caused by a number of factors, negligence is often the cause. When a medical professional fails to provide a proper standard of care, the doctor or anesthesiologist can be held accountable for malpractice and any resulting injuries.

Anesthesia Malpractice

Anesthesia malpractice can happen either during the preoperative medical review or during the procedure itself. If the anesthesiologist fails to properly review all the patient’s medical records, he or she may administer drugs to which the patient is allergic, may administer anesthesia that has a bad interaction with medication the patient is taking, or may use too high of dosage on the patient, all potentially causing injury or death.

Anesthesia Contraindication

An anesthetic contraindication occurs when the anesthetic mixes with other medications a patient has been on before surgery, resulting in a negative consequence to the patient’s health. This type of anesthetic malpractice can often lead to a patient’s death, and whoever administers the anesthetic has a very stringent duty of care to ensure this doesn’t result.

Most common Anesthesia Errors

When healthcare providers fail to properly advise a patient or fail to properly administer an anesthetic, the resulting injury to the patient can lead to a claim of damages against the healthcare provider. The following describes the most common anesthesia errors that result from medical negligence and lead to injury claims:

• Anesthesia dosage error
• Delayed delivery of anesthesia
• Patient monitoring failures
• Dangerously prolonged sedation
• Failure to recognize and respond to anesthesia complications
• Failure to properly inform a patient of instructions for before, during, or after the procedure
• Faulty equipment
• Shutting off the alarm on the pulse oximeter
• Failure to intubate

All of these potential risks are inherent to any patient receiving anesthesia from a healthcare provider, and patients will acquire a legal right to compensation in the event that any of these mistakes in administering anesthesia occur.

Consult with a Las Vegas Medical Malpractice Attorney

At Breeden Malpractice & Injury Law, we have attorneys dedicated to ensuring patients who were harmed from improperly administered anesthesia get the compensation they are owed from this type of medical malpractice. Our attorneys will vehemently represent your case and make sure that your claim receives all the compensation you are entitled to under the law. Contact us by going online or by calling (702) 819-7770 today to speak to one of our qualified attorneys.