Misuse of Anesthesia

When undergoing surgery, there are a number of factors which could go wrong and complicate the procedure. A doctor must consider all aspects of the surgery beforehand. One such consideration is determining the appropriate method of anesthesia for a patient. Misuse of anesthesia is a common problem in surgeries, which can cause serious injury and even death to patients.

Ways It Can Go Wrong

When distributing anesthesia to a patient, there are a number of ways in which a doctor or nurse can mess up. Some common errors include:

o Incorrect dosage. If a vile is incorrectly labeled, or a nurse misunderstands the doctor, an incorrect amount of anesthesia can be administered to patients prior to an operation.
o Delayed delivery. This can be caused by misplaced IVs, complications swapping syringes, or vaporizer leaks.
o Prolonged sedation. When a patient is placed under anesthesia for too long, it can affect their brain activity. Prolonged sedation can cause coma, brain damage, and death.
o Inadequate monitoring. Monitoring a patient during and after a surgery can be vital to ensuring their safety. If something goes wrong and no one is there to assist them, an easily solved problem can quickly worsen and compromise the patient's life.
o Intubation complications. Often, intubation is done during an operation in order to help the patient breathe; however, if not properly installed, it can cause serious complications.
o Adverse reactions. If proper testing is not completed prior to surgery, a patient can suffer from an allergic reaction, heart complications, and other difficulties.
o Communication errors. The chain of communication from doctor to nurses is not always the most reliable. Misunderstood or forgotten information can cause patients undue suffering during an operation.
o Impaired or incompetent practitioners. If a medical professional is working while under the influence of mind altering drugs, they are much more likely to make mistakes, which can cause serious injury or even death.
The Effects of Anesthesia Misuse

The repercussions of incorrectly administering anesthetic are numerous, and include:

o Awareness during surgery, potentially causing post-traumatic stress, emotional distress, and physical pain
o Brain damage
o Coma
o Cardiovascular injury
o Damage to tracheal, or surrounding areas due to intubation
o Death

Unfortunately, complications with anesthesia occur quite frequently. According to statistics from the National Practitioner Data Bank:

o From 1990-2002, 5,691 medical malpractice payments were made due to anesthesia related accidents
o The mean amount for medical malpractice payments made between 1990 and 2002 due to anesthesia related accidents was $245,935.

For more information about anesthesia misuse and medical malpractice suits, contact the Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyer at the law firm of Lowenthal & Abrams.