Anesthesia is usually safe, but mistakes can make it much riskier, according to the Mayo Clinic. Doctors and nurses have a responsibility to be careful when giving anesthesia. If they make a mistake, it can cause serious health issues that could be dangerous.
Because of this, you must understand what common anesthesia errors are and their effect on you or your loved one.
The two main categories of anesthesia errors
Here are what both can look like, along with some examples:
Improper implementation
These problems can happen when:
- A medical professional gives you the wrong amount of anesthesia. If you get too little, you might wake up during surgery. If you get too much, it can slow down important body functions.
- A medical professional places the endotracheal tube, the tube that helps you breathe during surgery, in the wrong spot. If this happens, it can make it hard to breathe and cause other problems.
Failure to monitor patients
These problems can look like:
- Not watching vital signs: Doctors and nurses need to keep a close eye on things like your temperature, blood pressure, oxygen levels, breathing rate, and heart rate during surgery. Anesthesia can affect your nervous system, so it’s important to notice any changes. If they don’t pay attention to these signs, it can lead to serious long-term health issues.
- Ignoring anesthesia problems: Although complications with anesthesia are rare, they can still happen. Medical professionals must be ready to deal with things like allergic reactions or unexpected responses. If they don’t manage these issues properly, patients could face serious health problems, such as a stroke, nerve damage, or even paralysis.
You should be able to trust your health care providers to take care of you. If they fail to uphold their duties, it can cause big problems for you or your loved ones.
You deserve to fight back
Knowing the possible risks of anesthesia mistakes can help you hold careless medical professionals accountable. Collecting evidence, asking another doctor for their opinion, and teaming up with an experienced lawyer can help you create a strong medical malpractice case.