Should you be hurt due to anesthesia usage, contact this Miami Anesthesia Error/Mistake Lawyer. He will help you in your time of need. Anesthesia refers to a state of unconsciousness or a state in which a person cannot feel any, or as much, pain. Anesthesia is drug-induced. Doctors frequently rely on anesthesia during a surgical procedure or operation.
Typically, an anesthesiologist will administer a drug to the patient. The drug will cause either “local anesthesia” or “general anesthesia.” Local anesthesia (frequently given in the form of an injection) results in the patient not feeling any pain at the site of the injection. General anesthesia, on the other hand, results in complete loss of consciousness of the patient.
While anesthesia can be helpful during a surgical procedure or operation, it can also be highly dangerous. For example, if too much anesthesia is used, a patient may actually overdose (“OD”) on the drug. If this occurs, the patient can enter into a coma or vegetative state. In the worst case scenario, patients can actually pass away due to anesthesia overdose.
Patients may also develop allergic reactions as a result of anesthesia usage. Certain people are allergic to certain anesthesia drugs. An anesthesiologist is supposed to check his patients to make sure they aren’t allergic to the anesthesia drug administered before so administering. If the anesthesiologist doesn’t do this and the patient develops an allergic reaction as a result, then the anesthesiologist can be responsible for the patient’s injuries.
Anesthesia errors also include dangerous drug interactions. That is, certain drugs interact with each-other in harmful ways. It may be perfectly safe to take drug A and perfectly safe to take drug B independently of each other, but, when taken together, the drugs can cause dire consequences. This includes anesthesia drugs. If the anesthesiologist doesn’t take care to make sure the anesthesia drug administered doesn’t have harmful interactions with other drugs the patient is on, the anesthesiologist can be held responsible for any harm caused.
There are various types of anesthesia drugs. If a doctor knows that a patient cannot take one anesthesia drug for whatever reason, then he or she should prescribe another drug. However, this is not always done – and the results can be catastrophic. If this is the case in your situation, then you may be able to pursue a case against the anesthesiologist who caused your injuries.
Anesthesia errors also occur when anesthesiologists don’t properly monitor their patients during surgery. One of the jobs of an anesthesiologist is to properly monitor the vitals of his or her patient (i.e., the patient’s heart-rate, blood pressure, etc.). Anesthesia can affect these vitals, and this can potentially have terrible consequences. For example, if the patient’s blood-oxygen levels dip, the patient can experience asphyxia, a hypoxic event and resulting brain damage. An anesthesiologist should monitor the patient to make sure that these things aren’t happening during the surgery. If he or she fails to do so during the procedure, then he or she can be held responsible for any resulting harm.
In order to ensure the proper blood-oxygen levels for their patients, anesthesiologists will frequently “intubate” their patients. Intubation is a procedure in which a plastic tube is placed into a patient’s “trachea” (i.e., windpipe). The patient will breathe through the plastic tube. This will help to ensure that the patient’s blood-alcohol levels remain normal and the patient doesn’t experience asphyxia and a hypoxic event.
Nevertheless, intubation, if not done correctly, can be extremely dangerous. For example, if not done properly, a patient might not get proper oxygen levels. If this occurs, the patient can experience asphyxia and a resulting hypoxic event.
Sometimes, anesthesiologists will simply decide not to intubate a patient when they should. If this occurs and the patient experiences harm as a result, the anesthesiologist can be held responsible.
Anesthesia mistakes also occur at injection sites. Anesthesia drugs are typically administered intravenously. If the anesthesiologist makes a mistake while administering the IV, he or she can badly injure the patient.
Moreover, if the anesthesiologist administers the IV with unclean hands, using unsanitary materials or in a contaminated environment, then an infection can develop at the patient’s injection site and the patient may become extremely sick.
Anesthesia may also last too long. Anesthesiologists may intend to put the patient into an “induced coma,” which allows the patient to heal. However, sometimes the unconsciousness will be allowed to last too long – in which case the patient may never come out of the coma. If this occurred to your loved one, then you may be able to pursue a case against the anesthesiologist on behalf of your loved one.
Call Mr. Quackenbush for a free, no obligation consultation if you or a loved one have been harmed by an anesthesia error occurring anyplace in the State of Florida (including Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, West Palm Beach, and Palm Beach County). Mr. Quackenbush will gladly talk to you about your case for free. Call him at 954-448-7288.
Should you hire Mr. Quackenbush, he will work on contingency. This means that there will be no charge to you until a recovery has been made in your case – so there is no risk to you.
Various injuries can occur as a result of an anesthesia mistake. These include nerve damage, brain injury, a tracheal injury, vein and artery damage, paralysis and coma.
“Anesthesia awareness” occurs when not enough anesthesia is used. When a patient experiences anesthesia awareness, he or she is actually conscious during the procedure. Because of the anesthesia, the patient may not be able to move or say anything to the surgeon or anesthesiologist. This can result in severe emotional trauma for the patient. Many patients who experience anesthesia awareness have flashbacks and are unable to get over the event. If an anesthesiologist’s use of an inadequate amount of anesthesia caused you to experience anesthesia awareness, then you may have a medical malpractice case against the anesthesiologist.
The statute of limitations for a case of anesthesiologist malpractice is two-years. That is, you have two years from the date you knew or should have known of your injury to bring your case. Therefore, don’t delay contacting an anesthesia negligence lawyer.
In the worst case scenario, anesthesia error may even cause death. If this occurred to your loved one, then you may be able to pursue a case on your loved one’s behalf. In that case, a personal representative (usually a family member or relative) will be appointed as the personal representative of your loved one’s estate. Proceeds from the lawsuit will go to the survivors or beneficiaries of your loved one’s estate.
In a medical malpractice case, there are various restrictions and limitations on who can be a survivor or beneficiary of the estate – so it is best to contact an anesthesiologist malpractice attorney.
In a case of anesthesia malpractice, it will be necessary to obtain a signed affidavit from another anesthesiologist stating that the treating anesthesiologist was negligent and didn’t live up to the “standard of care” of an anesthesiologist (the level of care that a reasonable anesthesiologist would and should give). So, if you’ve been injured due to the negligence of an anesthesiologist, Mr. Quackenbush will hire another anesthesiologist as an expert witness to review your case, determine if there was negligence on the part of the anesthesiologist who treated you, and, if there was negligence, issue a signed affidavit on your behalf. In fact, in an anesthesia negligence case, this signed affidavit is necessary.
For a free, no obligation consultation, contact Mr. Quackenbush at 954-448-7288 if you’ve been harmed by an anesthesiologist anywhere in the State of Florida. Mr. Quackenbush will gladly talk to you about all aspects of your case at length for free.
If you hire Mr. Quackenbush as your lawyer, he will operate on contingency. This means that he won’t charge you a dime until you’ve received compensation in your case, so there is no risk to you.