Anesthesia is often necessary to ensure comfort and manage pain during surgeries and other medical procedures. It can render patients unconscious, relieve pain or relax muscles to allow surgeons to perform their work safely and effectively. While anesthesiologists and medical staff are highly trained, mistakes can still happen—and these errors can have devastating consequences.
How anesthesia errors happen
The three primary types of anesthesia are general anesthesia, which renders the patient completely unconscious, regional anesthesia, which numbs a specific area of the body and local anesthesia, which targets a small, localized area.
Because of its powerful effects, administering anesthesia requires precision, thorough pre-procedure evaluations and careful monitoring during and after surgery. Even minor errors can lead to severe complications.
Anesthesia errors can happen at any stage, from preoperative evaluations to postoperative monitoring. Common mistakes include incorrect dosage, failure to properly monitor the patient during the procedure and miscommunication among medical staff. Errors can happen due to inadequate preparation, such as failing to review the patient’s medical history or allergies. This could result in dangerous drug interactions or adverse reactions. Technical issues, such as malfunctioning equipment, may also contribute to anesthesia-related injuries.
Determining liability for anesthesia errors
To hold a care provider liable, plaintiff must establish that the anesthesiologist or another provider failed to meet the accepted standard of medical care. This means proving that a competent professional in the same circumstances would have acted differently, and that this failure directly caused the patient’s injury.
Liability in these cases may rest with the anesthesiologist, other medical staff or the healthcare facility. For instance, a nurse administering the wrong drug dosage or a hospital failing to maintain anesthesia equipment could be deemed negligent. If a technical issue was involved, liability may include the equipment manufacturer or hospital administration.
Preventing errors
While patients rely on medical professionals to provide safe and effective care, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of anesthesia errors. Always provide your healthcare team with a complete medical history, including any medications you’re taking, allergies and past reactions to anesthesia. Ask questions about the procedure, the type of anesthesia being used and how you’ll be monitored during and after surgery.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by an anesthesia error, it’s important to act quickly—Ohio’s statute of limitations for filing medical malpractice lawsuits is often shorter than other types of personal injury claims. Call the Law Offices of Tim Misny right away so we can explain your options.
Talk to an Ohio medical malpractice attorney today
The Law Offices of Tim Misny can help you with your medical malpractice claim. If you or a loved one were injured due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at (877) 944-4373 so that I can evaluate your case right away.
