Anesthesia malpractice may leave a patient brain damaged, with intractable nerve pain, or even dead. Anesthesia malpractice may be committed by a variety of different providers, or it may be the result of different errors made during the many stages of a medical procedure.
Anesthesia malpractice may be the result of errors made by anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetists, or hospitals. Identifying the responsible party will likely require a close evaluation of the medical records. An anesthesiologist is a physician trained and specializing in the administration of anesthesia. A nurse anesthetist, also known as a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), is a nurse trained to administer anesthesia or work collaboratively with a physician to administer anesthesia. Hospitals, or, increasingly, surgical centers, typically own the equipment required to administer and monitor the anesthesia.
Anesthesia is a type of medication that prevents typical nerve function so that patients do not feel pain. This allows for dental or surgical procedures to be performed in a well-managed environment. The three most common types of anesthesia are:
Anesthesia malpractice errors can lead to significant injuries. Many of these injuries are life-shortening or permanently disabling. A patient may lose blood supply to the brain and may suffer a hypoxic brain injury. A patient may suffer a stroke that goes undetected until it is too late to intervene. An anesthesia error may lead to blindness or loss of function of an organ, for example. In the case of local or regional anesthesia, a patient may develop intractable nerve pain or needle-stick injury. Sometimes patients suffer joint injuries due to improper positioning during the procedure.
Anesthesia malpractice may occur a number of ways. Significant injury can occur when the anesthesiologist or anesthetist fails to do an adequate history of the patient and misses significant risk factors or contraindications. During the procedure, the provider may improperly intubate the patient, causing significant injury in the airway, or brain injury due to lack of oxygen. A provider may administer the wrong anesthesia dosage, which can cause the patient to wake up during the procedure, or cause organ damage.
It is critically important that the patient be monitored throughout the entire procedure. Providers or hospitals may be negligent for improperly monitoring, thereby missing symptoms of adverse events such as loss of an airway or loss of nerve function. Providers have been known to turn off equipment, or, when remote monitoring is being employed, fail to appreciate that all telemetry data was lost rather than assume that the procedure has ended.
If you suspect that you or a loved one has suffered an injury from anesthesia malpractice, contact our offices. If warranted, we will carefully review all of the medical records, as most anesthesia malpractice is case specific.
John, a 33-year-old man, was admitted to the hospital for a lumbar fusion procedure. He had previously suffered a work-related back injury in his job. The surgery was a two-stage procedure separated by two days. During the second stage, the anesthesiologist administered the epidural anesthesia in a negligent manner resulting in bradycardia. He then failed to respond in time to prevent John from suffering a cardiac arrest, lack of oxygen to the brain, and extensive brain damage. As a result of the injury, John became totally disabled.
CMG was retained by John’s family, which included his two minor children, and filed suit against the anesthesiologist and the hospital. After extensive litigation, which included many depositions and expert witnesses, we successfully obtained a multi-million-dollar settlement compensating John for his injuries and lost income, two years of care at a special facility for brain-damaged individuals, and 24-hour care at his home later. We also recovered compensation for his children for the damage they suffered because of their father’s injuries.
If you feel you have experienced an injury due to anesthesia malpractice in Washington State then contact CMG Law Seattle Malpractice Attorneys in Washington for a Free Consultation.
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