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Cochran Firm Blog, Philadelphia

Anesthesia Malpractice

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Anesthesia is not an uncommon medical practice. It is used to place a patient in an unconscious or semi-conscious state through drugs, medication, and gasses during surgery. Many overlook the responsibility and importance of anesthesiologists, but they are crucial to the surgical process.

Anesthesia error can occur during surgery, but unfortunately, it is not until after a patient dies or a serious problem is identified following the surgery that they are discovered. This often leads to a need for medical recovery from surgical errors. The reason there are so many anesthesia malpractice lawsuits is because of the specific functions or duties carried out by an anesthesiologist. The most commonly known anesthesia malpractice lawsuits are centered on dosage error, whether it be too much or not enough. However, in addition to prescribing the correct dosage of medication, anesthesiologists are responsible for monitoring and communicating patient vitals, as well as intubating patients if need be to create an airway for patients during surgery.

The following conditions are the most frequently cited reasons anesthesia malpractice lawsuits occur:

  • Failure to save a life
  • Neurological injury
  • Overdose
  • In hospital infections
  • Airway mishaps
  • Cardiac arrest during surgery
  • Awareness/pain during surgery

In 2014, a 38 year old woman in Pennsylvania went in for a routine sinus surgery when she developed complications due to the anesthesia and died. The doctors failed to adequately run a pre-operative history and discover she had sleep apnea. The failures led to the complications that killed her, and the defendants decided to settle for $1.1 million with the assistance of a wrongful death attorney.

Contact Us Today

Chances are you will not be facing a single doctor or anesthesiologist. You will instead be facing an entire group of doctors or a hospital. If you or a loved one have fallen victim of medical malpractice, including anesthesia malpractice, contact our Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys today. Call us at (800) 969-4400