Buffalo Grove Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Anesthesiologists are medical professionals who use gases or injections to administer drugs to patients before surgical procedures. When anesthesia errors occur, they are often the result of negligence. Chicago anesthesia errors may cause severe, long-term disabilities such as the following:
- Tracheal damage
- Lack of adequate oxygen
- Heart attack or stroke
- Brain damage
- Paralysis
As with other medication errors, the negative effects vary depending on what type of error is made and how quickly health care providers respond. Anesthesia errors occur most often in emergency departments and intensive care units, where issues such as inadequate staffing may lead to a failure to monitor the patient’s state appropriately, which is a form of medical malpractice.
Chicago Negligence Lawyers
The National Institutes of Health report that approximately 34 fatalities per year are directly caused by anesthesia, while it is a contributing factor in nearly 300 others. Almost half of these deaths were due to an overdose. Just over 40 percent caused adverse effects, and the other 10 percent were the result of complications. Chicago negligence lawyers would note that male patients and the elderly are particularly at risk of fatality in these cases.
Patient Trauma
Typically, surgical errors and unnecessary or unauthorized medical procedures are the first things that come to mind when people think of medical malpractice. However, administering the wrong drug, using faulty equipment or inadequately informing the patient before administering the anesthetic are also ways that a medical professional may be negligent. Additionally, when the drug dosage is too low, the patient may regain consciousness or feeling during the procedure and suffer anesthesia awareness. Emotional and physical trauma from this occurrence often leads to post-traumatic stress or anxiety disorders.
The health care provider who is responsible for this preventable mistake may be held liable for the pain and suffering caused. This is also true in the case of birth injuries, failure to diagnose an illness or injury, and breaches of doctor-patient confidentiality.
The health issues that may occur as a result of an anesthesia error often cause considerable medical expense, so it is critical that a patient or family member seek legal support without delay. The negligence lawyers at Cary J. Wintroub and Associates in Illinois have experience representing victims of medical mistakes and can provide professional advice on the best way to proceed. Contact our office at (312) 726-1021 to schedule a free consultation.
