Though going into surgery is always stressful, we’re typically more worried about the surgery itself; not going under anesthesia prior to the surgery. Unfortunately, anesthesia errors aren’t rare and can significantly harm patients as a result. If you’ve been hurt because of an anesthesia error, contact a Houston, Texas anesthesia error lawyer from Davis & Davis today.
Obtaining Damages for Hospital Anesthesia Errors in Houston, Texas
Hospitals, doctors, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other medical professionals have years and years of training, and procedures are set in place to avoid mistakes and provide a high standard of care. These professionals are held to a high standard of care because of the harm that can occur when they do make mistakes. Whether through incompetence or carelessness, thousands of people lose their lives in hospitals needlessly each year.
Anesthesiology errors are especially frightening. When an anesthesiologist makes a mistake – such as a dosage error, intubation error, or failure to monitor the patient – the results can be catastrophic. The patient could suffer serious injuries or death. If you’ve been harmed by an anesthesia error, you need a Houston medical malpractice lawyer in your corner. We are here to help.
Hospital Malpractice
Among mistakes that hospitals make is hiring the wrong doctor for a special role, or a doctor with a record of serious errors. Failure of supervision or correction of problem doctors may also constitute negligence.
Both a negligent doctor and the hospital may be responsible when serious mistakes are made. These include:
- Anesthesia mistakes: Dosage errors, insufficient dosage, failure to monitor the patient, intubation injuries, and communication errors
- Prescribing unsafe medication or the wrong dose
- Failure to diagnose cancer before it is too late
- Birth injuries leaving children with lifelong problems
- Failure to recognize preventable problems, including heart attack
- Post-surgical infections
- Failure to consult with a specialist
- Failure to order or evaluate necessary tests
- Leaving surgical instruments or sponges in the body
- Punctures or lacerations to surrounding organs
- Unnecessary surgery
- Wrong-site surgery
- Radiological errors
Attorneys at Davis & Davis understand our clients who have suffered due to the carelessness of hospitals and doctors who seemed like they were on autopilot, who refused to pay attention to your loved one’s signs and symptoms and to your family’s concerns. We are one of the only firms in the area with the expertise to investigate the circumstances and expose hospital and anesthesia malpractice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia includes a variety of drugs used during surgeries and other medical and dental procedures to keep patients from feeling pain. In some cases, this requires a drug that induces unconsciousness, while other procedures may need only localized numbing.
Anesthesiologists, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals have years of training to provide a high standard of care. These professionals must be held accountable when they make mistakes that harm patients due to incompetence or carelessness.
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding medical mistakes involving anesthesia:
How common are anesthesia errors?
Researchers at a prestigious hospital recently reported that nearly half of all surgeries contained medication errors, including administering anesthesia. These mistakes led to life-threatening conditions for some patients, an elevated risk of infection for others, or a problematic change in patients’ vital signs. More than one-third of these incidents led to harm to patients.
A complicating factor in answering this question is that no systemic studies have focused solely on anesthesia errors. However, some general studies say medical errors, as a whole, kill as many as 250,000 people in the U.S. each year, making it the third-leading cause of death for Americans, behind cancer and heart disease.
What are the most common mistakes anesthesiologists make?
The role of an anesthesiologist is critical during medical procedures. This individual must have the proper training to administer drugs, monitor vital signs, and provide the patient with oxygen. These common mistakes can result in severe consequences:
- Dosage errors: Giving the patient too little or too much anesthetic. An overdose can lead to brain damage and coma. Too little can lead to a patient suffering or waking up during the procedure.
- Failing to monitor the patient: An anesthesiologist must regulate and monitor the patient’s heart rate, oxygen intake, and consciousness level. Failure on their part can lead to death or serious brain injury.
- Intubation injuries: In order for patients to breathe during surgery, anesthesiologists may have to intubate them to ensure a proper airway. Mistakes can cause serious injuries, including brain damage, cardiovascular failure, neurological problems, or trauma to the trachea, larynx, teeth, tongue, or lips.
- Anesthesia awareness: This occurs when patients receive an insufficient dosage and become conscious during the procedure. Patients often suffer excruciating pain but are unable to communicate this to the medical team. An estimated 20,000 to 40,000 of these cases are reported each year.
- Communication errors: An anesthesiologist must diligently inform surgeons and other medical professionals of the patient’s vital signs and other factors. Failing to report accurate or timely information can lead to complications, such as heart failure.
What can victims or family members do after an anesthesia error occurs?
Anesthesia errors and other medical mistakes are devastating for victims and their families when they lead to severe medical conditions or the wrongful death of a loved one. Due to the highly complex nature of a medical malpractice claim, it is advisable to contact a Houston, Texas anesthesia error attorney with vast experience handling these cases.
We focus exclusively on medical malpractice law and are one of the last firms in Texas that still takes on a large volume of cases in the Lone Star State as well as from across the country. The attorneys at Davis & Davis, Attorneys at Law have nearly seven decades of combined experience and more than 300 jury trials, fighting for individuals and families who have been victimized by anesthesia mistakes and other medical errors.
During a time when fewer attorneys take on these challenging cases, we make it our priority to help you receive justice and maximum compensation when medical professionals fail to deliver the high standard of care they are required to provide. If you or a loved one were harmed due to anesthesia complications in Houston, contact a member of our firm today.
Contact a Houston Anesthesia Error Attorney Today
If you need a competent and aggressive Houston anesthesia error lawyer to fight for the justice you deserve, you’ve come to the right place. Contact Davis & Davis today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your options following an anesthesiology error in Texas or anywhere in the U.S. We regularly fly to meet with clients, and we can come to you.
