What are Anesthesia Malpractice Case Examples?

Medical negligence by an anesthesiologist can cause irreparable brain and spine injuries. Incorrect anesthetic dosage or the wrong medication altogether can directly cause damage or may contribute to surgical errors. In this video, medical malpractice attorney Jacqueline Colclough explains anesthesia malpractice case examples that she has successfully handled.

In the years that I’ve been doing this, there’s one case that stands out in my mind for a number of reasons. It was a case that involved a woman who at the time was my age. Who, like me, had teenage children. And she had a progressive neurologic disorder. She had worsening problems with her legs, with motor strength and sensation and she was beginning to use a walker. And so, she saw a surgeon, a neurosurgeon. And she was evaluated and he told her that he could do surgery and stop the progression of her disease, and maybe even permit her to have some recovery of function. And when she emerged from the surgery, she could only move her index finger. Her family came to us not long after and we started to investigate the case. And so, it took us almost three years to investigate the case. We had countless physicians review it again—it was so complicated medically. And then finally, finally we found the answer.

And what had happened in the surgery was that the anesthesiologists had used the wrong anesthesia during her surgery. It was a high cervical spine surgery. He used the wrong anesthesia and the surgeon wasn’t able to monitor the health of her spinal cord. And despite that fact he continued with the surgery. Even though it wasn’t an emergency surgery, and even though it wasn’t a necessary surgery, he continued. And during that time, a spinal cord injury occurred that was never detected until she woke from anesthesia and she couldn’t move. After years of litigating the case, the hospital finally asked if we would resolve it. We met at mediation and the hospital finally made a fair offer.

We had worked so hard to find the truth and understand what had really happened, and if we had given up, if we had left that one stone and not looked under it, we never would have made a difference in her life and in the lives of her family. And within a week or so she was living at home with her family. Which is what she had always wanted. She had attendant care. She wasn’t a burden on her family. And she had the joy of returning to her family. If you would like more information about our firm and who we are, you contact us online. Our attorneys and staff can be reached at (202) 960-4596.