Call Us Now
202-463-3030
Schedule a Free Consultation
Anesthesia is an umbrella term for the various medications that a doctor administers before surgery or a medical procedure. Different types of anesthesia range from rendering a patient unconscious to providing localized pain relief. When mistakes are made with any kind of anesthesia, patients can suffer physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
Mistakes do happen, but if your injury resulted from medical negligence, legal options are available to you. Suppose you or a loved one was injured due to an anesthesia error. In that case, you can file a medical malpractice claim against the medical professionals who caused the error. If you or a loved one has been harmed, a Washington, DC anesthesia errors lawyer can help you understand your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve. Contact the DC medical malpractice attorneys at Regan Zambri Long for a free consultation.
Complete this form and our team will get back to you as soon as possible
During surgery or certain medical procedures, patients may receive one of four main types of anesthesia:
General anesthesia is typically used for major or complex surgical procedures. It places the patient in a controlled, unconscious state, preventing the brain from processing pain signals. This form of anesthesia is delivered through a combination of intravenous medications and inhaled gases, known as anesthetics. Because it affects vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, patients must be closely monitored throughout the procedure. In many cases, an anesthesiologist and a certified registered nurse anesthetist work together as a team to safely administer and oversee general anesthesia.
Also known as procedural sedation, this type of anesthesia uses a combination of medications to help the patient relax while blocking any pain caused during a medical procedure. Patients may stay awake while under conscious sedation, and the level of sedation varies from minimal to fairly deep.
Regional anesthesia uses local anesthetics to numb a large portion of the patient’s body while allowing them to remain awake and alert. This type of medication is given through a catheter or an injection. The types of regional anesthesia include spinal anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, and nerve blocks.
Local anesthesia is a one-time injection that numbs a small area of the body. It is used for minor procedures like stitches, repairing a bone, or performing a biopsy. The patient remains awake throughout the procedure.
The bottom line is, mistakes happen when the anesthesiologist administering anesthesia is careless, inattentive, and doesn’t do their job correctly. Unfortunately, patients pay the price when the anesthesiologist:
If you or a family member has experienced an anesthesia error, you should speak with a personal injury attorney in Washington, DC.
Many things can go wrong when an anesthesiologist does not do their job correctly. Some of the more common anesthesia errors happen when:
Some of these mistakes will lead to serious or lifelong complications for the patient.
The consequences of anesthesia errors are wide-ranging.
When a patient is under general anesthesia, any changes in body temperature, oxygen level, heart rate, and blood pressure must be noted and addressed. If a patient is not adequately monitored or does not receive the proper care, they may experience a lack of oxygen, which can lead to a stroke, brain damage, or cardiac arrest. One medical study found that one in 2,000 to 3,000 patients will aspirate while under general anesthesia. Half of those patients will develop a related lung injury.
In some cases, when the anesthesiologist performs an epidural or spinal anesthesia, the needle may puncture the membrane that surrounds the spinal cord. As a result, the patient experiences a cerebrospinal fluid leak (CFL). Conservative treatments for these leaks are not always successful. Some patients must undergo surgery to repair a CFL after an epidural. Spinal anesthesia, if administered incorrectly, can cause nerve damage. The patient can lose feeling or movement in parts of their lower body, which can take weeks or months to recover.
Another consequence of a general anesthesia mistake is that the patient remains conscious or becomes conscious during the surgery. As a result, these patients remember their surgery or parts of their surgery. Some will also feel pressure or pain at the surgical site. For every 1,000 procedures, one to two patients will wake up during surgery. These patients often report suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after waking up from surgery.
The short answer is, too often. Studies show that anesthesia-related medication errors occur more often than many patients realize. A review published in Anesthesia Essays and Researches found that medication errors or near misses occur in roughly one in every 200 anesthesia cases. The most common mistakes involved incorrect drug doses, syringe swaps, and medication substitutions. These errors frequently caused temporary or reversible harm, such as prolonged recovery times or the need for additional monitoring, but in some cases led to serious complications, long-term morbidity, or even death. The findings highlight how dangerous anesthesia errors can be when providers fail to uphold the standard of care.
It is extremely difficult for a patient to bring an anesthesia error lawsuit on their own. Some doctors won’t willingly speak out against another medical professional. These are complex cases, and you need the experience and expertise of a Washington, DC medical negligence attorney. To successfully win an anesthesia mistake lawsuit, you must be able to prove the medical professional had a duty to keep you safe from harm, the healthcare provider failed in their duty and acted in a negligent manner, the negligence caused an injury, and the anesthesia error injury resulted in damages. In the eyes of the law, “damages” are things like bodily injury and emotional distress.
A medical malpractice settlement of this type typically covers:
The most serious anesthesia mistakes result in death or in an individual needing around-the-clock care. If your family experienced this, you may also be entitled to:
The Washington, DC statute of limitations sets forth the amount of time you have to pursue such a legal case. Typically, the clock starts ticking the day the anesthesia mistake occurred or when the patient was made aware of the error. However, there are many factors at play in anesthesia mistakes, including whether death resulted.
Predicting how long an anesthesia error case will take is difficult, and often the more serious your or your loved one’s injuries are, the longer the process may last. Factors that can impact the timeline include the legal steps required to gather supporting evidence and the time needed to fully assess the scope of the injuries. It is not unusual for an anesthesia error case to take a year or more to conclude, and while waiting can be difficult, our attorneys are committed to pursuing the best possible outcome rather than the quickest resolution. Importantly, when you hire us, you won’t pay until after you receive your settlement, allowing you to access legal representation without adding more financial strain.
When patients undergo an operation or medical test, they put their trust in doctors and hospital staff. During most medical procedures, particularly if the patient is under general anesthesia, they are unable to speak up if something is wrong. Fortunately, there are steps that patients can take before surgery to reduce their risk of an anesthesia error, such as finding out who their anesthesiologist will be, verifying their license and any disciplinary actions through the District of Columbia Department of Health License Search, giving honest answers about lifestyle factors that may affect anesthesia safety, and ensuring they fully understand the risks associated with the surgery and the anesthesia being used. While these steps can help, anesthesia mistakes can and do still occur, and if you or a loved one has been affected, our team is here to help you understand your legal rights.
Patients can be vigilant, but anesthesia mistakes can and do still happen. If you or a loved one wants to learn more about your legal rights, we’re here to help.
At Regan Zambri Long, our entire practice is dedicated to representing clients who were injured due to someone else’s negligence. And that includes medical malpractice cases like anesthesia errors.
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis. That means you do not pay an attorney’s fee until the case is successful. Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation case review.
Have you or your loved one sustained injuries in Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia? Regan Zambri Long PLLC has the best lawyers in the country to analyze your case and answer the questions you may have.