Michigan Anesthesia Injury Attorney

Anesthesia is one of the most important elements in a surgical procedure. No matter how minor the surgery is, anesthesiologists must be accurate in their calculations in order to maintain the appropriate level of medication in patients. Overmedicated patients could suffer serious injuries, and undermedicated patients may suffer incredible trauma by waking up in the middle of a procedure.

At the Buchanan Firm, we understand the gravity of an anesthesia error, and we are committed to holding all responsible parties accountable for their negligence. If you or a loved one suffered an anesthesia error due to negligence, our anesthesia injury lawyers in Michigan can provide the help and support you need.

How Do Anesthesia Errors Occur?

Anesthesia errors can happen for a number of reasons.

• An error in dosage, wherein an anesthesiologist either administers too much or too little anesthesia due to miscalculations in dosage and other factors.
• Failure to properly assess a patient before he or she goes into surgery. A lot of circumstances can impact the efficacy of anesthetic in a patient. By not understanding the full scope of a patient’s health history, errors can result in dosing.
• Failure to properly monitor the patient. After anesthesia is administered to a patient, it is the anesthesiologist’s responsibility to monitor their vital signs through the duration of the procedure. Not giving full attention to the status of a patient can result in a failure to recognize the onset of complications or any other developments that endanger their health.
• Turning off alarm systems for monitoring systems. Devices used to monitor vital signs such as oxygen levels and blood pressure often have an alarm set when they reach critical status. If these are erroneously turned off or not properly set, any medical professionals may miss important red flags indicating the patient requires assistance.

Negligence plays a primary factor in many of these causes. If you believe you or a loved one suffered due to medical negligence, speak with our medical malpractice lawyers in Michigan.

What Kind of Injuries Result from Anesthesia Errors?

Unfortunately, this failure to properly monitor or otherwise assist a patient can result in serious, severe consequences. The most common complications that develop from anesthesia errors are:

• Asphyxia or suffocation
• Cardiovascular complications, such as heart attack
• Severe brain damage as a result of prolonged oxygen deprivation (also known as brain hypoxia)
• Coma
• Wrongful death

Patients who receive too little anesthesia may end up waking up in the middle of their procedure. While this does not necessarily cause physical harm, the psychological trauma of waking up on the operating table can be profound, wish many affected patients developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders as a result.

Who is Responsible for My Anesthesia Injury?

All doctors and medical professionals on duty during your surgical procedure must provide a standard of care to ensure you are stable through the surgery. If an error in anesthesia occurs, accountability almost always falls on the anesthesiologists tasked with monitoring your health. Most errors in anesthesia are preventable – and if one did not take the proper precautions, they may have acted in negligence.

At the Buchanan Firm, our Michigan anesthesia injury attorneys understand the responsibility that medical professional have toward their patients. We retain a team of certified nurses and other medical staff with clinical experience to give trusted advice and expertise during the medical review of your case. In this way, we have a greater understanding of your case, the severity of your injuries, and how best to proceed with litigation.

Contact Us Today

If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury due to a negligent anesthesia error, contact the Buchanan Firm today to discuss your case. Our injury lawyers in Grand Rapids take immediate action to protect your legal rights, and we strive to hold all relevant parties accountable for their negligent actions in Michigan.