Anesthesia Errors and Complications

Excessive anesthesia, or the wrong anesthesia, can have catastrophic results, including coma, brain damage, permanent injury, and even wrongful death. Every year, about 1 person in 1,000 in the U.S. suffers complications from local anesthetic or general anesthesia during surgery.

While American surgeons and anesthesiologists are the best trained in the world, anesthesia errors do happen, often with devastating consequences for both the patient and family members. Administering anesthesia is a key factor for many types of surgeries, and it is also one of the most dangerous.

Injuries from anesthesia complications may result from adverse reactions to a procedure as simple as having a tooth pulled. It is the responsibility of every doctor, anesthesiologist, and nurse anesthetist to ensure that every precaution has been taken to prevent complications to the patients under their care.

What Are Anesthesia Errors?

Anesthesia errors can occur before, during, or after a medical procedure. A mistake involving medication, patient assessment, monitoring, airway management, or post-operative care can cause serious injury or other complications.

In some cases, an anesthesia error may involve:

• Administering too much or too little anesthesia
• Administering the wrong anesthesia medication
• Failing to identify an allergy or other medical risk
• Failing to properly monitor a patient
• Failing to properly manage the patient’s airway
• Failing to respond appropriately to complications
• Failing to provide adequate post-operative care

Determining whether an anesthesia complication was caused by medical negligence requires a careful review of the circumstances and the medical care provided.

Common Causes of Anesthesia Errors

The attorneys at Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler PLLC can help people recover compensation for anesthesia errors and complications arising from:

• Airway obstruction
• Intubation
• Over-sedation
• Allergies to anesthesia drugs
• Misread medical charts
• Improper anesthesiologist or anesthetist training
• Failure to properly assess patient for anesthesia
• Failure to obtain informed consent from patient
• Improper positioning of the patient prior to surgery resulting in nerve injury
• Failure to properly set up monitoring equipment such as electrocardiograms, blood pressure cuffs, etc.
• Improper placement of intravenous lines
• Waking during surgery, or “anesthesia awareness”
• Failure to provide adequate post-operative care
• Failure to resuscitate, resulting in permanent injury or wrongful death

Injuries Caused by Anesthesia Errors

Anesthesia complications can result in serious and sometimes permanent harm. Depending on the circumstances, patients may experience:

• Brain damage
• Coma
• Nerve injuries
• Permanent disability
• Other serious physical injuries
• Wrongful death

The consequences can extend beyond the initial injury, creating substantial medical expenses, lost income, rehabilitation needs, and emotional suffering for patients and their families.

When Can an Anesthesia Error Become Medical Malpractice?

Not every complication from anesthesia necessarily means medical malpractice occurred. Anesthesia carries inherent risks, and some complications can happen even when appropriate care is provided.

A medical malpractice claim may arise when a healthcare professional’s actions fall below the applicable standard of care and cause injury to a patient. Our attorneys investigate the medical records and circumstances surrounding the procedure to determine whether negligence may have occurred.

Anesthesia cases can also involve multiple healthcare providers or facilities. Depending on the circumstances, responsibility may extend beyond the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist.

Anesthesia Errors and Surgical Errors

Anesthesia is an essential part of many surgical procedures, and an anesthesia error may occur alongside other forms of medical negligence.

If you or a loved one was injured during surgery, you may also want to learn more about surgical errors and how they can result in serious patient injuries.

Other medical negligence claims can involve hospital negligence, medication errors, or a missed or delayed diagnosis.

What Compensation May Be Available?

If an anesthesia error caused an injury, compensation may be available for losses associated with the harm suffered. Depending on the circumstances of the case, damages may include:

• Medical expenses
• Future medical and rehabilitation costs
• Lost wages or earning capacity
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Other losses caused by the injury

When an anesthesia error results in death, surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim.

How Can an Anesthesia Error Lawyer Help?

Anesthesia malpractice cases can require detailed investigation because the events surrounding an injury may involve several healthcare professionals and decisions made before, during, and after a procedure.

Our attorneys can investigate the medical care you received, review relevant records, identify potentially responsible parties, and work to determine whether the applicable standard of care was violated.

If you feel you or a loved one has suffered an injury from anesthesia, or you have questions or concerns about whether you or a family member has been harmed as a result of an anesthesia error, call the trial lawyers of Rush, Hannula, Harkins & Kyler PLLC now at (253) 383-5388 or click here to submit a free case review.

Let our experience work for you. Our initial consultation is free of charge, and we only get paid for our services if you receive monetary compensation.