Anesthesia Errors and Medical Malpractice

Anesthesia errors are a serious form of medical malpractice that occur due to the negligence of the anesthetist or hospital staff.

Anesthesia errors occur when the health care provider commits an error in administering anesthesia, which causes harm to the patient in some way. The anesthesiologist, doctor, nurse, or any other member of the hospital staff can commit anesthesia errors. Missouri medical malpractice lawyers are of the view that everyone should be educated about medical malpractice, and should know what to do in case someone close to them becomes a victim of a negligent anesthesiologist. Here is a quick guide on what are the different types of anesthesia, what are different ways in which a doctor can commit anesthesia errors, and what are the ill effects of anesthesia medical malpractice.

Various Types of Anesthesia

• General anesthesia – the patient is rendered unconscious
• Local anesthesia – numbs a particular area of the body so that the patient does not suffer a pain in the area
• Epidural anesthesia – delivered through an injection in the spinal cord
• Regional anesthesia – numbs large areas such as an entire leg or arm
• Dissociative anesthesia – is not used quite often. It induces a trance like state.

Various Types of Anesthesia Errors

• Administering an overdose of anesthetic drugs
• Anesthesia awareness, which means administering an underdose of anesthetic drugs
• Administering the wrong anesthesia drug
• Use of defective devices and equipment while administering anesthesia
• Delayed delivery of anesthesia
• Anesthesia interactions with other drugs
• Not taking into account the patient’s allergies while administering anesthesia
• Failure to educate and prepare patients prior to administering anesthesia
• Failure to properly monitor patient during surgery
• Failure to provide oxygen during surgery

Types of Health Complications from Anesthesia Errors

Any of the aforementioned anesthesia errors can cause health complications and may even cause death of the patient. These anesthesia errors can have various effects on the health of the patient. Some of the ill effects of anesthesia medical malpractice are:

• Dizziness, blurred vision, and confusion
• Birth defects
• Ringing noise in the ears, a condition known as tinnitus
• Abnormal pulse or heart arrhythmia
• Brain damage
• Organ problems
• Cardiovascular problems
• Nerve damage
• Inadequate oxygen supply or asphyxia
• Cardiovascular collapse
• Abnormal blood pressure
• Spinal cord injury
• Paralysis
• Stroke and seizures
• Malignant hyperthermia that causes high fever and muscle contractions
• Coma and death

Medical malpractice cases related to anesthesia errors can become quite complicated and may involve a lot of legal and medical intricacies. Contact the Zevan and Davidson Law Firm at (314) 588-7200 to investigate the various aspects of the case.

Photo credit: orbis via Flickr