Going under general anesthesia for the first time can be very frightening, but most of the time everything turns out OK, and patients come away from the experience with a reduced fear of surgery. However, when anesthesia errors do occur, the results can be irreversible damage, extreme pain and psychological terror, and even death.
The introduction of anesthesia made life saving surgeries possible. Today, surgery can be a routine procedure which doesn't even require a night in the hospital. Not only does surgery save lives, but people choose to have elective surgeries, just because they want to.
Even though the use of anesthesia has become common place, it carries some very real risks and must be administered with precision by a highly skilled specialist. Those specialists are anesthesiologists, and their job is to administer anesthetizing drugs and monitor patients during surgery, constantly keeping them at a safe level of unconsciousness.
Anesthesia errors
Most people who are afraid of anesthesia worry that they will just never wake up. That is rare, but it can happen. There are many types of anesthesia errors including:
·Too much anesthesia
·Too little anesthesia
·Failing to provide the patient with proper instructions, such as not eating or drinking prior to surgery
·Harmful drug interactions with the anesthesia
·Administering anesthesia to an allergic patient
·Delayed anesthesia delivery
·Defective medical devices used during sedation
·Failure to properly monitor a patient
·Failure to properly administer oxygen during surgery
·Inadequate product labeling
Anesthesia awareness
Too much anesthesia can result in an overdose and death. If there is too little anesthesia, or if delivery is delayed, a patient can experience one of the most traumatizing accidents possible, call "anesthesia awareness."
During anesthesia awareness you are conscious of what is going on during the procedure, and often in extreme pain. Added to all of that is the fact that you are paralyzed, unable to move or communicate your suffering, and sometimes disoriented due to waking up in the middle of surgery. It is truly like being in a horror movie or some twisted nightmare, but it is real.
The psychological and emotional impact of anesthesia awareness can haunt you for life, causing permanent damage and consequences including
·Sleep disorders
·Flashbacks
·Panic and anxiety disorders
·Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
·Extreme fear of doctors and medical settings, leading to the avoidance of necessary medical care
Other anesthesia injuries
The physical injuries caused by other types of anesthesia errors, including overdose and harmful reactions to the anesthesia, can also be devastating, permanently disabling, and even deadly. Anesthesia errors can cause:
·Brain injury
·Stroke
·Heart attack
·Birth defects
·Nerve damage
·Spinal cord injury
·Paralysis
·Asphyxia
·Coma
·Death
Responsible parties
Anesthesia errors don't always originate with anesthesiologist. Poor record keeping, and failure to evaluate a patient are just a couple of mistakes which can be made by doctors and other staff. Anesthesiology error lawsuits are complicated and can involve multiple responsible parties including:
