Could Anesthesia Errors Put You at Risk of Injuries Due to Atlanta Medical Negligence?

Anesthesia is necessary for many medical procedures in order to allow a patient to undergo painful treatments. There is both local anesthesia, which numbs pain only in a certain area, as well as general anesthesia which involves putting a patient under. General anesthesia can be really dangerous if it is not done correctly, and many victims of medical negligence are harmed by their anesthesiologists who make mistakes that have devastating consequences.

Atlanta Medical Malpractice Claims for Anesthesia Problems

There are many different kinds of mistakes which are made by anesthesiologists and which can cause serious harm to the patients who are victimized by medical error. Some of the common errors that anesthesiologists make that can adversely affect patients include:

• Patients receiving an excessive dose of anesthesia.
• Patients receiving an insufficient dosage of anesthesia.
• Anesthesia awareness, which happens if a patient cannot communicate due to the effects of anesthesia but is still able to feel pain and remains aware of what is happening to him.
• Delayed delivery of anesthesia.
• Adverse drug reactions due to anesthesia because doctors failed to prevent this outcome from occurring.
• The wrong kind of anesthesia being used on a patient.
• Failure to determine if a patient has an allergy to anesthesia before administering it.
• Accidentally administering anesthesia that the patient is allergic to.
• Not giving patients instructions before giving them anesthesia, such as rules about fasting.
• Failing to adequately monitor a patient who is under anesthesia.
• Medical device or equipment problems when anesthesia is administered.

A patient who is victimized by anesthesia error could experience a wide range of long-lasting side effects, some of which could be fatal. Cardiovascular collapse, heart arrhythmia, brain damage, organ damage, and damage to the arteries are possible. A patient could suffocate, or suffer from asphyxia due to insufficient oxygen. A baby could also suffer a birth injury due to anesthesia error during the labor and delivery process.

Anesthesiologists need to be held accountable for medical negligence if these or other consequences result from problems with the administration of anesthesia. Victims will need to demonstrate that an anesthesiologist fell short of providing an appropriate standard of care in order for the victim to be compensated.

The anesthesiologist is judged based on what a hypothetical average anesthesiologist with a similar background would have done under the same circumstances. Anesthesiologists receive extensive medical training, and so are held to a high professional standard of care when it comes to determining if they can be held liable for medical negligence.

Have You Been The Victim Of Medical Malpractice?

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a medical error you need to speak with a medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our office directly at (800) 234-9556 to schedule your free consultation.