Despite years of textbook education and then hands-on training, surgeons sometimes make egregious mistakes in operating rooms. Dozens of people every week undergo the wrong procedure or the right procedure performed on the wrong part of their body. Surgeons also frequently close incisions with foreign objects left behind inside the patient’s body.
Those kinds of mistakes can have devastating consequences. Although people pay much attention to those egregious errors that occur during surgery, much of the worst risk arises at the beginning of the procedure before the surgeon ever picks up a scalpel. Anesthesia is what makes surgical operation possible, and it is consistently one of the most dangerous elements of any surgical treatment.
Anesthesia errors are quite common
There are many reasons that anesthesia errors occur. Sometimes, anesthesiologists mix up two medications. Other times, they administer the wrong dose of a medication. They may also fail to test a patient for allergies and properly review their family history.
Some people are more likely than others to have adverse reactions to specific types of anesthesia. Professional anesthesiologists can usually prepare for surgery by reviewing a patient’s medical history at length. If they cut corners, they may make the wrong decision about how to sedate a patient.
Unfortunately, anesthesia errors can lead to a variety of negative consequences. In some cases, they are fatal because a patient stops breathing or their heart stops beating. Other times, the patient may experience surgical wakefulness. They may be conscious and able to feel pain but unable to move or communicate which can be incredibly traumatizing. Anesthesia errors can also lead to nerve damage or brain damage. They can also lead to a surgeon canceling an operation, which might lead to a patient’s condition worsening.
Anesthesia errors might constitute malpractice
Most anesthesia errors are preventable with rigorous medical protocols. When an anesthesiologist doesn’t follow best practices, they may expose the patients in their care to unnecessary risk. Those dealing with medical consequences after anesthesia errors occur may have grounds for medical malpractice lawsuits. Surviving family members of those who die because of anesthesia errors may also be able to pursue civil litigation.
Learning more about common surgical errors, including anesthesia errors, can help patients identify malpractice and demand accountability. Medical malpractice lawsuits can potentially compensate those harmed by the unprofessional or negligent conduct of an anesthesiologist before or during surgery.