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.
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
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.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
Malman Law’s founder Attorney Steven Malman has over 30 years of experience handling personal injury, nursing home, medical malpractice, truck accidents, car accidents, premises liability, construction, and workers’ compensation cases in Chicago, IL.
Years of experience: +30 years
Justia Profile: Steve Malman
Illinois Registration Status: Active and authorized to practice law—Last Registered Year: 2024
It is common to have questions about anesthesia and the possible errors that can lead to an injury. Here are some of the most common anesthetic error questions in Chicago medical malpractice cases. Contact Malman Law with any additional questions that arise.
Anesthesia can stay in your body for hours or days, depending on the type and administration procedure. IV can last eight hours. A nerve block ranges from 12 to 24 hours. Spinal blocks can help with pain management for 24 to 48 hours. Epidurals are the longest lasting and can last four to five days. These times can range depending on the person.
While it can vary, general anesthesia can render a patient unconscious in 30 seconds.
Everyone reacts differently to anesthesia, but some side effects can be grogginess, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting. You should receive instructions when you wake up on how to handle these side effects if they present.
Yes. Anesthesiologist and the anesthesia team must stay during the entire medical procedure. They are responsible for monitoring the patient and ensuring they receive the correct dose.
Depending on your circumstances, the answer to this question will vary. Anesthesia has risks and possible complications. The anesthesia team will inform you of those risks and complications. If you suffer a known complication, you might not be able to pursue a medical malpractice claim. The best way to determine if your anesthesia injury is malpractice is to speak to a lawyer.