Anesthesia has a pivotal role to play in ensuring patient comfort and pain-free surgery. However, errors might happen during this process, which can cause more significant harm and lead to more severe complications that can lead to death and life-long impairments in the worst cases. Being on the receiving end of such an anesthesia error can be highly traumatic both for the patient and their loved ones.
The most common type of anesthesia is general anesthesia wherein a patient is made entirely unconscious. This is usually administered through inhaled vapors and IV medications. Next comes regional anesthesia, which targets a large body part such as the entire abdomen, chest, or legs. Here, a type of spinal fluid is injected into your spinal cord to numb the lower part of your body, as is commonly used in C-section births.
Third in line comes local anesthesia, which can numb a small area of your body. This is used for skin biopsy or dental surgeries wherein the numbing medicine is directly injected into the tissue surrounding the surgical site. Last comes sedation, where the patient is administered a drug that makes them feel drowsy during the operative process. Today, we will look at the different types of anesthesia errors that might occur before or after surgeries causing lifelong impacts.
Drug Mistakes
This is the most common type of error that occurs while administering anesthesia to patients. They might be given an incorrect drug or a wrong dose. There is also a chance of giving them the medicine using the wrong technique. Such mistakes usually occur due to medicines that have similar labeling, packaging, or drug names.
Equipment Failure
Anesthesia equipment requires regular maintenance and routine checks. Failure to do so can cause critical errors on the surgery table, such as insufficient anesthetic agents or oxygen delivery.
Lack Of Communication
The surgical team should communicate with the anesthetist before the procedure. They are expected to share notes on the patient’s medical history, current medicines, and allergies to specific substances.
Errors In Documentation
One of the primary aspects of anesthesia care is correct and in-depth documentation. Incomplete or incorrect records are the leading cause of wrong decisions in patient care.
Time Crunch
In a medical facility with an overflowing number of patients but fewer doctors and nurses, it’s natural for the medical staff to work under a time crunch. They might skip routine checks and administer the anesthesia drugs hurriedly without checking them twice. Multiple instances have occurred of them not monitoring the patient’s vitals correctly leading to cardiac arrest or hypoxia. This is another significant cause of anesthesia errors.
Intubation Errors
Intubation refers to the placement of a breathing tube. Improper placement can damage the patient’s airway, teeth, and surrounding tissues. Some other problems that might arise are throat irritation, vocal cord damage, and chipped teeth.
Conclusion
A medical malpractice case comprises four essential elements: duty, breach, casualty, and damage. The CHANCE, FORLINES, CARTER & KING, PC attorneys will gather evidence from your medical records, including anesthesia reports, preoperative assessments, and postoperative care notes. They will also talk to expert witnesses to understand how the standard was breached and how it impacted the patient.
The adept lawyers will try to gather evidence of damages from medical bills, additional treatments required due to the anesthesia error, expert assessments of upcoming medical costs, and more. Testimonies from the patient, their family members, and other healthcare providers can also be gathered to understand the impact of anesthesia on the patient’s life and prove how medical malpractice hampered it.
