Anesthesia errors can result in different forms of injury. If you suspect that this has happened to you or a loved one, then you will need to know the exact form of the injury you have sustained. Obviously, this is something that only a qualified medical professional can diagnose, but it's still useful to have an overview of the possible complications. These may include things like:
Dental Injury
What does anesthesia have to do with your teeth? It turns out that dental injuries are the most common claim against anesthesiologists. Such injuries usually occur during the intubation period, when the breathing tube is inserted into your airway. The damage can occur due to a variety of reasons, such as:
- The anesthesiologist's inexperience.
- Poor dentition (arrangement of teeth in your mouth) – poor dental arrangement interferes with the insertion of the breathing tube.
- Low anesthesia dosage – teeth damage may occur if you can still move your facial tissues while the tube is being inserted.
Whether or not you have a claim depends on what caused the injury. For example, you may have a claim if it was caused by a low anesthesia dosage, but not if it was due to something you did.
Deep Vein Thrombosis
This condition occurs when blood clots in one of the deep veins in your body. It is a serious, and potentially fatal, medical condition because the blood clot can travel to your lungs and interfere with blood flow.
General anesthesia increases your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The longer you are under the influence of anesthesia, the more likely you are to develop the condition. The occurrence of DVT itself does not constitute medical malpractice; it is what caused it and how it is handled that matters. For example, the main intervention is to prevent the clot from growing bigger or breaking loose and traveling in your veins. Therefore, it may be a case of medical negligence if your doctors diagnose DVT, but do not take these steps.
Anaphylaxis
This is a severe form of whole-body allergic reaction. Some people are allergic to anesthetic agents, and the reactions may include skin rashes, vomiting, low blood pressure, tightening of the airways and others. Your medical history may help in determining how you react to the drugs. Your pre-operative assessment may also be used for the same purpose.
Here again, the mere existence of the anaphylaxis reaction does not constitute negligence. It may be negligence only if somebody should have known about it, but did not. It can also be a case of negligence if the doctors do not do what other reasonably competent doctors would have done (in the same situation) to mitigate the injuries.
These are just a few examples of what may go wrong when you are subjected to general anesthesia. Note that you may only submit claims for injuries that stem from other people's negligence. If you think that you have suffered damages where an anesthesiologist was negligent, it is important to talk with a professional personal injury attorney, such as those at Charles Aaron PLC.
