Chicago Anesthesia Error Attorney

Each year millions of people nationwide undergo medical procedures and surgeries that require anesthesia. Some risks come with using anesthesia. Complications are considered rare, but they do happen. If there is an anesthesia error, it might cause a life-threatening condition. An anesthesia error might lead to death in some of the worst cases. You must have a Chicago anesthesia error lawyer helping you if you suffer an injury from anesthesia complications.

Types of anesthesia malpractice

Generally speaking, anesthetists help patients relax and avoid feeling pain when undergoing a procedure. The anesthesia can control the person’s blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and other vitals. There are three main types of anesthesia:

• General: the person is entirely unconscious by suppressing the central nervous system. You cannot feel pain. It is some of the strongest anesthesia available. It is often used for lengthy procedures like back surgeries. There is the possibility that general anesthesia can impact a person’s breathing or cause blood loss.
• Regional: These anesthetics are used to block sensation in a large area of the body. This can be your entire leg or arm. The patient is not unconscious during the procedure. The two common forms of regional anesthesia are epidural and spinal. They both involve injecting a specific area of the back. Another form of regional anesthesia is peripheral nerve blocks which are shots to block pain for a particular group of nerves. IV sedation is sometimes coupled with the use of regional anesthesia.
• Local: when undergoing a minor procedure, it might warrant using a local anesthetic. It involves injecting the anesthesia into the tissue to numb a small part of the body. It is often used in dental procedures.

Anesthesia complications can lead to patient injuries.

When anesthesia errors occur, it has the potential to cause injuries to the patient. If an error leads to an injury, you must get an investigation and pursue legal action. Some injuries that patients could suffer include:

• Paralysis from spinal cord damage
• Brain damage
• A life-threatening allergic reaction
• Stroke
• Lung infection
• Vocal cord injury
• Heart attack
• Seizures
• Hematoma
• Death

Anesthesiologists fail to monitor patients during surgery.

The role of an anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist is to administer anesthesia and monitor the patient during their procedures. They must monitor patient vitals and take exhaustive notes. One of the reasons they do this is to ensure the patient does not feel pain during their procedure.

When a patient feels pain under anesthesia, it might lead to mental trauma, intense pain, PTSD, and emotional distress. It might also lead to other surgery complications. Failure to monitor the patient can often contribute to anesthesia errors. To thoroughly investigate your case, speak to our anesthesia error lawyer.

What can go wrong during a medical procedure?

Patients are informed of the risks associated with the procedure or surgery they are having. However, there are also possibilities that you can suffer an injury or complication from an anesthetic error. Finding out what went wrong involves our lawyers working with medical experts to sift through medical charts and find where the error occurred.

Some errors are attributed to respiratory complications. Cardiac events are also possible. Some possible negligence from the anesthesiologist includes:

• Administering the wrong anesthetic
• Defective medical equipment
• Delayed anesthesia delivery
• Failing to administer oxygen
• Incorrectly intubating
• Intoxication by the medical provider
• Failing to recognize complications
• Not monitoring vital signs
• Not acknowledging or preventing anesthetic interactions
• Improper instruction to the patient

Medical malpractice and anesthesia errors

Anesthesia errors fall into medical malpractice lawsuits. This area of personal injury law involves negligent parties inflicting injury on someone else. Anesthesia administration and monitoring is a medical treatment. Anesthesiologists are responsible for mitigating errors and risks when patients are in their care. They must assess the patient before, during, and after surgery.

Anesthesiologists must learn about the patient’s family history. This can help them identify potential risk factors. They should also calculate the proper dosage amount for the person’s health conditions and weight. They will intubate patients so they can breathe and continue to administer the anesthesia during the operation.

Since anesthesia errors are handled under medical malpractice law, the plaintiff must prove the same elements of fault as other malpractice cases. The burden of proof is on you and your anesthesia error lawyer. The critical aspects of an Illinois medical malpractice claim include the following:

• The anesthesiologist owed a duty of care
• The anesthesiologist breached their duty to you
• Their error caused you injuries
• The injuries or incident caused you compensable damages

You should work with an attorney to assess if your case has all of these elements. Sometimes other parties are responsible for your anesthesia error.

Human and mechanical errors in anesthesia injuries

Anesthesia errors can usually occur in two ways: human or mechanical errors. The anesthesia team must monitor the patient and their medical equipment to ensure accuracy and safety. It is often seen that human error is the underlying cause of an anesthesia error.

Human errors sometimes involve airway management, drug administration, anesthesia machine operation, and fluid or electrolyte management. Staff can contribute to human error by:

• Lack of sleep
• Not following institutional practices
• Carelessness
• Being unfamiliar with the drug, equipment, or devices
• Inexperience
• Lack of knowledge about the procedure
• Inadequate supervision

Mechanical errors can also contribute to anesthesia errors. If a machine fails, other parties might be responsible for your injury. Our anesthesia error attorneys will find every responsible party for your anesthesia error and name them in a lawsuit. Problems with equipment can involve:

• Ventilators
• Airway devices
• Breathing circuits
• Monitoring devices
• Laryngoscopes
• Anesthesia machines

A mechanical error does not absolve the medical staff, technicians, or medical professionals from liability. There are procedures they must follow to avoid errors. When they do not follow guidelines, misread monitors, or ignore patients, it has a possibility of disaster. Their actions can be considered medical malpractice or negligence. Talk to a lawyer today.

Time limits for filing an anesthesia error lawsuit in Chicago

Medical malpractice is a very complex legal matter. The deadlines can vary based on various factors, including when you discover the error and your injuries. One thing is certain, however; you do not have unlimited time to file your claim, and the clock is ticking if you know you suffered anesthesia injuries.

It is essential to consider when you find out about your injury or anesthetic error. The law also considers the reasonable amount of time you should have known about the error. Receiving a written notice about the error can also impact your time limit for pursuing compensation.

Statutes of limitations in Illinois are essential to recovering compensation. You might lose your right to file a medical malpractice lawsuit if you miss a deadline. Our anesthesia error lawyer will keep you abreast of any deadlines to protect your legal rights.

Contact a Chicago Anesthesia Error Lawyer Today

Modern anesthetic drugs help a plethora of medical procedures and surgeries to be completed effectively every day. However, when an error occurs, it can be detrimental to the patient. Many of these injuries are preventable. Patients put their lives in the hands of their medical team. When these medical professionals are negligent, they must be held accountable. The legal team from Malman Law is here to help injury victims and their families. Call us at (888) 746-5015 for a case review.