Medical malpractice can happen in a variety of ways. One common mistake is anesthesia errors. Anesthesia is often needed during surgical procedures and it’s not always easy for patients to go through. There are always concerns about complications and it’s possible the patient may never wake up.
For the most part, anesthesia does a great job of keeping patients unconscious during surgery so they feel no pain. But when anesthesia goes wrong, it can be scary. It can lead to emotional and physical damages.
Administering anesthesia is not always easy. Anesthesiologists need to be skilled. They need to know what they are doing and make sure they give the right dosage. Otherwise, the results can be dangerous or even deadly.
Injured by anesthesia? You may have a viable claim. Discuss your case with the Fort Lauderdale anesthesia error lawyers from Freidin Brown, P.A today.
Types of Anesthesia Errors
Mistakes can happen during the administration of anesthesia. Maybe the body reacts unpredictably and it’s not really anyone’s fault. In many cases, though, errors happen because the anesthesiologist didn’t do their job. They may not have been paying close attention. An anesthesiologist can make a mistake in various ways, such as the following:
- Giving too high or too low of a dose
- Not monitoring the patient throughout the procedure
- Failure to inform the patient on how to prepare for surgery
- Failure to check for allergic reactions
- Failure to recognize complications as they develop
- Turning off the pulse oximeter alarm (This is the device that sounds an alert if your heart isn’t pumping enough oxygen to your vital organs)
Suffered Due to an Anesthesia Error? Speak to a Fort Lauderdale Lawyer Today!
What Can Happen?
Any of the errors listed above can cause physical damage to the body. Some common side effects of anesthesia errors include:
- Pain
- Nausea
- Allergic reaction
- Sore throat
- Brain damage
- Tooth damage
- Nerve injury
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Heart palpitations
- Low blood pressure
- Breathing problems
- Coma
- Death
One scary side effect is anesthesia paralysis. It’s a condition in which a patient is not fully sedated and they become aware of what is happening during surgery. They may wake up in the middle of surgery. While they are unable to speak or move due to the muscle relaxant they are given beforehand, they are able to feel pain, and it’s often very intense. The experience can cause emotional distress and even post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Contact Freidin Brown, P.A. Today
We often take anesthesia for granted but there’s a lot that can go wrong when a doctor is not competent. Too little or too much medication, as well as poor monitoring, can lead to a host of complications.
If you or a loved one was harmed by an anesthesia error, the team at Freidin Brown, P.A. can help you file a claim for compensation. Contact our Fort Lauderdale anesthesia error lawyer today to learn more. To schedule a free consultation, call (866) 511-3321 or fill out the online form.