Anesthesia Errors and Injuries

Florida Medical Malpractice Lawyers and Anesthesia Errors Attorneys of Gilman Law LLP

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When undergoing a surgical procedure in Florida or in any hospital around the country requires the use of an anesthesiologist using a general anesthetic. Although anesthesia is considered safe, anesthesia errors and injuries can be made. Personal injuries caused by anesthesia errors may require the use of an experienced medical malpractice attorney such as the Florida lawyers at Gilman Law LLP and have a great deal of experience representing the victims of medical malpractice and anesthesia errors.  While anesthesia errors and injuries may occur for a number of reasons, they are often the result of professional negligence.

Given current medical knowledge, if an anesthesia error or injury occurs in Florida that could have been prevented, the responsible medical providers can be held liable for the patient’s injuries and suffering under medical malpractice laws.
Our medical malpractice lawyers know how devastating injuries from anesthesia errors can be and are aware of the emotional and financial costs of such medical malpractice in Florida. Gilman Law LLP lawyers are committed to obtaining the best possible financial results for the victims of medical malpractice and their families. If you or a loved one has been victimized by medical malpractice or medical negligence, we urge you to contact one of the Florida medical malpractice attorneys at Gilman Law LLP immediately. Our compassionate and committed medical malpractice lawyers are dedicated to helping the victims of medical malpractice and anesthesia injuries get their lives back on track.

The anesthesiologist will regulate your consciousness during a surgical procedure and is responsible for maintaining you in an unconscious or semi-conscious state throughout the length of the procedure. Too little anesthesia can cause you to wake to great pain and panic, and too much anesthesia could cause coma or even death.

Possible Anesthesia Errors

During a patient’s hospital stay or visit to the doctor’s office, anesthesia errors can occur. We put our trust in our medical providers to do everything possible to prevent anesthesia errors, yet, when they deviate from accepted standard of care, injured patients have the right to hold them accountable.

Some common anesthesia mistakes resulting from medical negligence include:

  • Anesthesia dosage error: An anesthetic product is improperly labeled, resulting in the administration of the incorrect dosage. A dosage error can occur if an anesthesiologist gives the patient too much or too little anesthesia.
  • Anesthesia Delivery Delay: This error could occur due to vaporizer leakage, IV errors, syringe-swapping troubles, and other complications at the outset of surgery.
  • Intubation Injury: An anesthesiologist will often intubate a patient during surgery to help them breath safely during the surgical procedure. Should the medical provider make an error during intubation, serious injury can result.
  • Improperly monitoring a patient: Anesthesiologists are responsible for regulating a patient’s level of consciousness during a surgical procedure, ensuring that a patient is not experiencing any complications or distress. Medical malpractice is the failure to fulfill these essential duties.
  • Failure to recognize complications
  • Leaving the patient unattended: An anesthesiologist and other medical providers have the primary duty of monitoring the patient and preventing harm.
  • Pulse Oximeter: A pulse oximeter is a device used during many medical procedures to monitor the level of oxygen in a patient’s blood, a key vital sign monitored during surgery. This medical devices has an alarm intended to alert medical providers when oxygen levels give cause for concern. If a medical professional turns this alarm off, they may miss important clues about patient distress and possible injury.
  • Improper, negligent administration of oxygen during surgery
  • Allowing oxygen to come too close to hot surgical equipment
  • Drug or alcohol use by an attending medical provider
  • Communication errors before, during or after the procedure occurring amongst medical staff and patients. This may include such communication errors as failure to give patients proper instructions about eating and drinking before surgery.
  • Dangerously prolonged sedation of the patient.
  • Defective anesthesia/medical equipmentAnesthesia awareness is a condition where the patient is not completely unconscious during a surgical procedure or if the patient wakes up in the middle of a surgical procedure due to insufficient anesthesia. Vaporizer leaks, intravenous infusion errors, and problems during a syringe swap can impede anesthetic delivery. Many patients who have experienced awareness during surgery report a feeling of paralysis and helplessness that can often lead to panic and future emotional problems such as anxiety disorders, sleep interruption, flashbacks or recollection of the intra-operative event, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and preoccupation with death.

    If you or a loved one suffered an injury due to anesthesia error as a result of medical malpractice or negligence, contact the Florida personal injury attorneys of Gilman Law LLP for a free, confidential, no-obligation case evaluation. Our medical malpractice lawyers located in our offices in Naples, Ft. Myers and Bonita Springs Florida are ready to help you get the compensation you deserve.