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These anesthesia errors could harm a patient severely

On Behalf of | Oct 4, 2021 | Medical Malpractice

Millions of Americans are subjected to anesthesia each year in order to perform surgical operations. While most of these procedures are completed without issue, a significant number of them result in some sort of medical error that can have serious ramifications for the victims. In fact, some statistics estimate that hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year due to medical mistakes. Anesthesia errors are amongst those mistakes.

How anesthesia errors occur

When most people think of surgical errors, they think of nicked organs or the retention of a surgical instrument. But the truth of the matter is that anesthesia errors are also common. Here are how anesthesia mistakes could put you or a loved one at risk:

  • Dosing errors: A doctor could inadvertently give you too much anesthesia that might lead to devastating consequences. This could be because the doctor was in a hurry, inattentive, or improperly trained on the equipment being used. In many instances, mere miscommunication plays a significant role.
  • Failure to react: In some cases, patients have a bad reaction to anesthesia. The doctor should be monitoring for these adverse reactions and respond accordingly. When he or she responds too slowly, you could be seriously injured or even killed.
  • Oxygen supply issues: Anesthesia slows your breathing, which means that you should be administered oxygen during your procedure to ensure that you don’t suffer any brain damage. But improper administration and monitoring of oxygen and oxygen levels can cause severe harm.

Hold negligent medical professionals accountable

You should be able to trust your medical team. The sad reality, though, is that medical professionals make preventable mistakes all the time. If you or a loved one has been subjected to one of these errors, then you should carefully consider whether pursuing a medical malpractice claim is right for you.

 

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