Anesthetics are essential to numerous medical procedures. These medications prevent you from feeling pain during even the most invasive interventions, but they can also pose a danger to your well-being if they are not administered correctly. Sustaining an anesthesia injury can leave you with serious health issues.
You or a loved one can end up needing ongoing medical care to address the damage these catastrophic injuries cause. If the harm you sustained was a result of medical malpractice, you may be entitled to damages, but it is not simple to prove. Keep reading to learn more about anesthesia injuries and the potential for a medical malpractice claim after suffering from one.
Understanding How Anesthesia Works
Anesthetics temporarily block the signals your nerves send to your brain. Although most people think that anesthesia puts you into a deep sleep, it places you into a reversible coma that interrupts the pain pathways, relaxes your muscles, and induces temporary amnesia. The specific type of anesthetic used will determine the exact effects it has on your body.
The three types of anesthesia are:
- Local anesthesia: Temporarily numbs a specific and small area of the body and can be applied topically, via an injection, or with a spray
- Regional anesthesia: Interrupts pain signals throughout a larger part of the body and is injected near a cluster of nerve roots
- General anesthesia: Suppresses your entire central nervous system, making you lose consciousness, and is administered via an IV or a gas
Any procedure that could cause pain or is invasive and requires immobility may rely on the use of an anesthetic.
Potential Adverse Effects of an Anesthesia Error
Although you can experience adverse effects with all three types of anesthesia if a medication error occurs, the most severe consequences typically involve general anesthesia. Common anesthesia error injuries include:
Allergic Reactions
An anesthesia error can cause life-threatening allergic reactions. If a patient is given the wrong type of anesthetic, this could be a significant risk.
Nerve Damage
It’s also possible to experience nerve damage. The improper administration of regional or general anesthesia could lead to lasting numbness, chronic pain, or paralysis in the affected area.
Circulatory Problems
Organ damage is also a concern when using anesthesia. General anesthesia can cause drops in blood pressure or oxygen levels. If the patient isn’t monitored closely during the procedure, these drops can mean organs don’t receive the nutrients and oxygen they need to keep functioning.
If vital signs like oxygen levels and blood pressure are not closely monitored, it could result in a brain injury or cardiac arrest.
Oral Injuries
An anesthesia error can harm oral structures if intubation is necessary. Using the wrong intubation techniques can break teeth or damage the vocal cords. These errors could even cause airway obstruction, leading to oxygen deprivation.
Anesthesia Awareness
Although a rarer consequence, anesthesia awareness can also be devastating. This occurs when a patient receives too little medication, which could result in them waking up in the middle of the procedure. They won’t be able to move or speak, but they’ll be able to feel pain.
Can an Anesthesia Injury Lead to a Medical Malpractice Claim?
It’s possible. An anesthesia injury may support a medical malpractice claim if an anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, physician, or healthcare facility failed to meet the applicable standard of care and caused the patient harm.
However, an injury alone does not prove malpractice—a successful claim generally requires evidence that:
- A healthcare provider owed the patient a duty of care.
- The provider failed to act as a reasonably careful medical professional would under similar circumstances.
- That failure caused or contributed to the patient’s injury.
- The patient suffered damages, such as medical expenses, lost income, pain, or long-term disability.
For example, malpractice may occur if a provider administers the wrong dosage, fails to monitor the patient’s vital signs, overlooks a known allergy or medication interaction, or delays responding to signs of distress.
What Evidence May Be Required in an Anesthesia Error Case?
An anesthesia error claim often depends on medical records and expert analysis and testimony showing what happened before, during, and after the procedure. A qualified medical expert can review the patient’s records, explain the appropriate standard of care, and determine whether the anesthesia provider’s actions fell below that standard.
The evidence must also connect the provider’s error to the patient’s injury. For example, records may show that the provider administered an improper dose, failed to monitor the patient, overlooked a known medical condition, or did not respond promptly when complications developed.
Because healthcare providers and insurers may dispute the cause of the injury, preserving complete medical records and obtaining a timely expert review can be critical.
Contact the Jacksonville Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Coker Law Personal Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation
An anesthesia injury can leave you facing serious health complications, unexpected medical expenses, lost income, and uncertainty about what to do next. If a medical provider’s negligence caused your injury or the loss of a loved one, you may have the right to pursue compensation.
The Jacksonville medical malpractice lawyers at Coker Law Personal Injury Lawyers can review your case, explain your legal options, and help determine whether malpractice occurred. Contact the firm today at (904) 356-6071 to schedule a free case evaluation.