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Surgery is nerve-wracking enough without having to worry about receiving the correct amount of anesthesia to keep you comfortable and at the correct level of consciousness. During surgery, failure to use or properly monitor anesthesia can cause serious harm to the patient. In many cases, the most dangerous part of a medical procedure is not the surgery, but the anesthesia administered prior to and during. If the anesthesiologist fails to properly administer the drugs, the results are often devastating. Anesthesia complications occur on a regular basis, and can cause severe injuries such as brain damage or even death. In addition, if the doctor does not use enough anesthesia, the pain the patient experiences can be both intense and traumatic. If you or a loved one experienced an injury due to the failure to properly administer anesthesia, contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Lowenthal & Abrams, Injury Attorneys. Our Philadelphia anesthesia error lawyers could help you determine if you have a claim against the hospital or clinic that hurt you.
Negligence and Anesthesia
Any individual involved in anesthesia administration may be liable for personal injuries that are caused by their negligence. This includes not only to the anesthesiologist but also the surgeons, nurse anesthetists, and hospital associated with the operation. There are a number of reasons that anesthesia complications may occur. Many of them are related to preventable human error.
- Overdose / underdose
- Illegible paperwork
- Outdated equipment
- Improper positioning of patient’s body
- Wrongful placement of the endotracheal tube
- Poor communication between staff members
- Staff’s lack of proper education in the field
- Incorrect dosage
- Drug Interactions
- Failure to monitor the patient
Anesthesia errors don’t only occur in the hospital. They can occur prior to when the anesthesia is given. This could be due to a failure to ask the proper questions by the medical staff, or in any location where anesthesia might be given to a patient. Locations include:
- Operating room
- Pre-operative care
- Out-patient procedures
- Delivery room
- Dental office procedures
- Recovery rooms
Depending on the cause of the anesthesia error, a lawyer in Philadelphia could determine how to pursue a claim.
Consequences of Improper Anesthesia Administration
The failure to properly use and control anesthesia can have serious and frightening consequences. Some of these include:
- Waking up during surgery
- Cardiopulmonary reaction
- Skin issues
- Hematologic complications
- Brain damage
- Asphyxiation
- Paralysis
- Tracheal damage
- Loss of bodily function
- Coma
- Death
Living with the unfortunate consequences of an anesthesia complication or error can be extremely costly. The surviving patient may require a life time of care, medical equipment and medical attention. For the moderately injured patients harmed from the anesthesia, they will need therapy and extensive recovery time. A seriously injured person will require even more assistance. You and your family deserve compensation for the future medical needs of your loved one, the loss of income, pain & suffering, and emotional stress. Our attorneys in Philadelphia could help someone pursue compensation for any complications they suffered as a result of an anesthesia error.
Improper Treatment
Lately, a frightening trend of bad behavior while patients are under has come to the attention of the public. Cases in which patients have been mocked or even molested. Fortunately, this is exceedingly rare, but if it occurs, it is potentially a criminal act, in the case of molestation, and a violation of your rights as a patient. Substantial verdicts have been awarded in such cases.
Contact Our Philadelphia Anesthesia Error Attorneys
There is a standard of patient care that may not have been met when it comes to anesthesia mistakes. If you or a loved one has been injured by an anesthesia error or complication, contact Lowenthal & Abrams, Injury Attorneys, P.C. Our Philadelphia anesthesia error lawyers could discuss your case with you and give you an honest answer and explain your legal options. The consultation is free and there is no fee unless you recover.
Why hire us for your case? First of all we provide more than 30 years of legal experience in this field. Secondly, we have a medical doctor and a nurse, both of whom are also attorneys on staff. Dr. Esther M. Gallagher, M.D. and Nurse Anita Pitock, can evaluate and decipher your records with the expertise that only a physician and/or nurse can provide. This combination of medical and legal knowledge enables us to examine your case quickly and efficiently.
