Anesthesia is a life-saving asset in modern day medical care, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
Putting someone under general anesthesia to perform medical procedures can come with serious health risks.
Complications can lead to the patient suffering nausea and vomiting, brain damage, drug-related reactions, anesthesia awareness, and even mortality. If you or a loved one has injuries from anesthetic complications, contact Murphy Falcon & Murphy. Our aggressive lawyers can take your case where it needs to go in the Baltimore justice system.
Some of the dangerous mistakes that are related to anesthesia include:
Risks Relating to Anesthesia
Anesthesia is necessary during thousands of different medical procedures and surgeries. Anesthesia doesn’t just put a patient to sleep — it uses intravenous drugs and gasses a patient inhales to make the brain unaware of pain signals. An anesthesiologist is the medical professional in charge of administering and monitoring anesthesia during procedures. Anesthesiologists receive specific training to give exactly the right amount of anesthesia to patients and to monitor them throughout surgeries to make sure all goes as planned.
An anesthesiologist will assess your medical and health history, current prescription and over-the-counter medications, age, weight, blood pressure, alcohol use, smoking history, allergies, and past anesthetic experiences to come up with the safest combination of medications for you. If the anesthesiologist makes a mistake or the patient has an adverse reaction to the drugs, complications can arise. If you suffered any kind of physical injury or emotional harm because of an unexpected anesthesia complication, talk to our attorneys about your legal options.
Too Much Anesthesia
Administering too great a dose can lead to temporary or permanent brain damage. An anesthesia overdose can harm brain cells or lead to lack of oxygen in the brain, sometimes causing permanent damage or death.
Too Little Anesthesia
Anesthesia awareness is rare, but it can happen if the dose is too low or the anesthesiologist makes other errors. Anesthesia awareness is when a patient is partially awake during a procedure but unable to move or speak.
Improper Combination of Medications
If the anesthesiologist makes a mistake in creating your unique cocktail of medications, it can result in harmful interactions with other drugs or allergic reactions.
Who Is Liable for Anesthetic Complications?
Using anesthesia successfully is a team effort. There are many professionals involved in putting a patient under anesthesia — from the doctor who explains how the patient should prepare for the procedure to the nurses in charge of post-operative care. Knowing who might be legally responsible for your anesthesia complication and resultant injuries comes down to identifying what went wrong and who should have prevented the problem. This party could be the anesthesiologist, the drug manufacturer, the hospital, or a combination of entities.
In many cases, it is the anesthesiologist at fault for anesthesia-related injuries such as nerve damage, brain damage, or death. If this is the case, you might be able to sue the individual and/or the facility. If the anesthesiologist is an employee of the hospital, the hospital could be vicariously liable for your injuries. Going up against a hospital’s insurance company in pursuit of damage recovery is no small task — don’t do it alone! Retain a lawyer from Murphy Falcon & Murphy for legal representation.
Contact Our Baltimore Legal Team
Our Baltimore team of attorneys will listen to your story, investigate the medical procedure and hospital, and help you file medical malpractice or other types of claims against the appropriate party or parties. Our expert attorneys know exactly how to fight for maximum compensation for victims of medical negligence. Let us take care of your case and experience the difference outstanding lawyers can make. Start with a free case evaluation at our Baltimore office. Call (410) 951-8744 to schedule yours today.