Anesthesia Errors: a Louisville, Kentucky, Law Firm

In many operations, the anesthesiologist is like an unsung hero working behind the scenes to make life-saving surgery possible. Many fail to appreciate how important of a role the anesthesiologist plays, and many don't realize that anesthesia errors can be damaging or deadly until it's already too late.

If you have been injured by an anesthesiologist's malpractice, or if a family member has, you could be awarded money damages in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Contact us online or call 502-410-3847 to schedule a free initial consultation with an attorney at Sitlinger, McGlincy, Theiler & Karem today.

Injuries caused by anesthesia errors generally result from one of two mistakes:

• Improper dosage: If an anesthesiologist gives a patient too little anesthesia, the patient may wake up during the procedure, becoming fully aware of everything that's happening, sometimes feeling pain, but being paralyzed and unable to alert the doctor. While this experience can be terrifying and result in psychological harm, an overdose of anesthesia can cause catastrophic injuries, brain damage and even wrongful death.
• Improper positioning: Another often overlooked, yet crucial aspect, to surgery is the importance of body positioning. Depending on where the surgeon must operate, the patient must be in a specific position to allow access to the operation area. If this is done improperly, then hours of misapplied pressure from the operating table can cause irreparable damage to the nerves, mouth, teeth or even eyes.

With either type of anesthesia error, if the anesthesiologist fails to monitor the patient during or after the surgery, then the error can't be caught and the patient may suffer serious consequences. We once represented a 14-year-old boy who was put under anesthesia so that doctors could reset the bone in his broken arm. The anesthesiologist administered too much anesthetic and then failed to provide the post-operational monitoring that could have prevented the injury. As a result, the boy suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

If an anesthesia error has seriously harmed you or a loved one, only a lawyer can help you recover the compensation you need. For a free consultation at Sitlinger, McGlincy, Theiler & Karem, call 502-410-3847 or contact us online.