Anesthesia Error Lead to Injury? Speak with a Cook County Medical Malpractice Lawyer.
When one undergoes an operation, the skill of the anesthesiologist is just as important as the surgeon’s. Anesthesia errors can be more dangerous than surgical mistakes because these patients literally rely on the anesthesiologist for the air they breathe. Anesthesia mistakes – when they occur – usually are minor, caught quickly and corrected without harming the patient. But if not swiftly detected, it can take as little as two or three minutes to injure permanently or kill a surgical patient. Negligence may be to blame, so talk to a Cook County medical malpractice lawyer if it is suspected.
Surgical anesthesiologists are also responsible for the administration of drugs. And most anesthetic drug errors are partially, or completely, ascribed to human error. A slightly elevated dose of one of these drugs can lead to moderate – even severe – brain damage, permanent physical disability and even death.
As medical doctors, anesthesiologists must undergo years of training so they will comply with rigid medical standards and ethics. Like all licensed medical professionals, they have a legal duty to exercise the highest level of patient care. If proved that an anesthesiologist failed to meet this duty, it is all but certain that medical malpractice was committed.
Examples of Anesthesia Complications
Anesthesia error cases can be complex and occur for a variety of reasons. Some of the most common such errors that injure patients can include:
- Failure to properly research a patient’s medical history to determine if the patient is allergic to certain drugs or drug combinations
- Not properly sharing applicable information with the surgeon and their operating team
- Overdose/under dose of drugs
- Failure to monitor drugs fully as they are administered
- Improper or insufficient monitoring of a patient’s vital signs
- Failure to intubate a patient properly
- Use of contaminated or defective equipment
- Misuse of spinal anesthetics, which can cause patient seizures and damage spinal cords
Any of the above errors can lead to a stroke, brain injury, heart attack, or other serious or fatal injuries to the surgical patient.
Thorough Investigations Build Strong Anesthesia Malpractice Cases
A careful review of the surgical – and the hospital’s – records can reveal if a serious surgical injury or wrongful death was caused by the anesthesiologist or someone on the surgical team. Buttafuoco and Associates’ experienced malpractice lawyers and medical investigators conduct a thorough investigation into negligent medical mistakes and anesthesia errors. We are assisted capably by qualified medical doctors who serve as experts to review these complicated records; and also serve as expert witnesses in deposition and at trial.
If you have been harmed by a negligent anesthesiologist or if a member of your family suffered a wrongful death due to anesthesia errors, you have the right to seek compensation for damages, as well as pain and suffering, through a medical malpractice lawsuit. If defective drugs or malfunctioning or damaged equipment played a hand in the injury, a defective product lawsuit against the manufacturer or other liable third parties – such as the owner of the faulty or damaged equipment – may also apply.
But it is vital to act quickly due to the statute of limitations; which for medical malpractice in Illinois is between two and four years, depending on the circumstances [§ 735 ILCS 5/13-212]. There could be extensions of that statute if the plaintiff is a minor, as well if the facts of the malpractice were concealed. Buttafuoco and Associates’ experienced anesthesia malpractice attorneys offer a free consultation. Contact us anytime by calling 1-800-NOW-HURT or fill out our online contact form.
