Being told by a doctor you or a loved one has to have surgery can be scary. Most people are fearful something will go wrong during the surgery. Some worry their surgeon will make a mistake, others worry about infections, but many overlook the risk of anesthesia mistakes.
Over the course of a year, anesthesia is administered around 40 million times, and out of those 40 million patients who receive anesthesia, one in every 200,000 die from an anesthesia mistake. Most people think the real danger is surgical malpractice, but patients are in serious danger before their surgeon even picks up the knife.
Anesthesia mistakes commonly leading to medical malpractice include:
- Patients getting too much or too little anesthesia
- Delays in administering anesthesia
- Giving patients the wrong kind of anesthesia
- Mixing anesthesia with other prescriptions improperly
- Giving anesthesia to patients with allergies
- Failure to inform a patient he or she should not eat prior to receiving anesthesia
- Failure to provide patient with enough oxygen while under anesthesia
- Failure to monitor patient properly while under anesthesia
- Using defective equipment/medical devices when administering anesthesia
Medication errors happen every day, but when you have a medication as powerful as anesthesia, the error can be deadly.
Complications arising from the misuse of anesthetics can cause a wide range of medical problems including:
- Asphyxiation (loss of oxygen)
- Aspiration of stomach contents
- Allergic reactions
- Damage to the windpipe
- Birth defects
- High blood pressure
- Irregular heartbeat
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Coma
- Brain Damage
- Death
If you or a loved one suffered any of these injuries as a result of an anesthesia mistake, you have to call me right away at 1 (800) 556-4769. I can help you evaluate your case and get you the compensation you deserve. As your Ohio medical malpractice lawyer, I’ll be there for you, and I’ll Make Them Pay!®
Author: Tim Misny | For 33 years, personal injury lawyer Tim Misny has represented the injured victim in birth injury, medical malpractice, and catastrophic injury/wrongful death cases, serving “Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Columbus & Cincinnati, Ohio.” You can reach Tim by email at tmisny@misnylaw.com or call at 1 (800) 556-4769.