Boston Anesthesia Negligence Lawyers
Our Boston anesthesia negligence lawyers realize that patients receiving anesthesia must be carefully and constantly monitored during this most vulnerable time in their treatment. The drugs used for anesthesia must be carefully selected and properly administered, and the patient’s vital signs must be monitored for signs of abnormalities. Even a slight error can result in unexpected stroke, brain damage, disability, or even death. The medical mistake lawyers at Crowe & Harris, LLP , are trained to identify abnormalities that can result in harm during anesthesia, and can locate and review documentation of anesthesia care that may not even be part of the patient’s record.
One of the greatest benefits of modern medicine is the development of general anesthesia. Without it, patients would not be able to undergo extensive, prolonged, and life-saving procedures such as organ transplants or open-heart surgery. Along with its benefits, however, anesthesia also poses many risks. If you or a loved one has suffered injury, loss, or even death from the improper use of anesthesia, you may be eligible to receive compensation.
Our Boston anesthesia negligence attorneys represent families throughout New England, including New Hampshire and Rhode Island. If you or someone you know has suffered an injury or death while under anesthesia, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your losses.
Contact Crowe & Harris, LLP , at (617) 404-3417 for a free consultation about your case.
Why Choose Crowe & Harris, LLP ?
At Crowe & Harris, LLP , we devote a whole team to your case. Most law firms only assign one attorney per case, we utilize out whole team for each client to ensure the best outcome for you. In terms of medical malpractice, the results speak for themselves in showing how dedicated we are to helping our clients reach successful outcomes to their cases. With over one hundred years of experience, our team of legal and medical experts is specially suited to defending medical malpractice in general, including anesthesia negligence. Serving clients throughout New England, we are motivated and equipped with the experience and past successes that will enable us to assist you in receiving the compensation you deserve. You should not be alone in dealing with the aftermath of anesthesia negligence. We are here to help you focus on your recovery and receive the means you need to put your life back together again.
Consequences of Anesthesia Negligence
A patient under anesthesia is completely helpless and dependent on the care of medical providers. Anesthesia negligence can occur in a variety of ways and can cause many different types of unexpected consequences. Some of the most serious potential issues arising from anesthesia negligence include:
- Lack of oxygen
- Allergic reactions
- Malignant hyperthermia
- Stroke
- Blindness
- Paralysis
- Brain injury
- Death
Our attorneys have experience helping injured individuals and families who have lost loved ones get justice and compensation when anesthesiologists make serious errors. Don’t let their negligence cause your life permanent harm. Contact us today.
Types of Anesthesia Error Cases We Handle
When possible, doctors and surgeons do what they can to avoid surgery. However, when surgery is necessary, you will almost certainly receive some form of anesthesia. Anesthesiologists are doctors in charge of the administration and monitoring of anesthesia. They are responsible for monitoring your health throughout the surgery to make sure that you are responding well to the medication. The dosage and type of anesthesia that is administered depend on the procedure and the patient’s body makeup.
According to resources provided by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the following are different types of anesthesia that are commonly administered:
- General Anesthesia – This type of anesthesia is administered either through inhalation methods or intravenously, which allows patients to sleep during surgery.
- Regional Anesthesia – Anesthesia administered to a specific region to provide additional numbness and relief. Some regional anesthesia methods include methods such as an epidural, a caudal block, a spinal, and nerve blocks.
- Local Anesthesia – Medication injected into the skin to numb the surgical site.
While many patients don’t have complications, if an adverse reaction occurs and isn’t caught or treated in time, a patient could suffer from cardiac arrest, respiratory suppression, allergic reaction, seizures, brain damage, and even death. The following list, though not all-inclusive, details some of the reasons for adverse reactions:
- Anesthetic overdose — Anesthetic is administered at an excessive and dangerous level and can cause permanent damage or death.
- Not enough anesthesia — If the administered dosage doesn’t last for the duration of the procedure, the patient could experience excruciating pain and later display symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Poor patient monitoring — During surgery, a patient’s heart rate, respiratory success, and blood pressure should be watched. Failure to do so could have fatal consequences.
If you have been the victim of an anesthesia error, you can fight back. Our skilled legal team can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
The attorneys at Crowe & Harris, LLP have many years of experience in successfully handling cases of anesthesia negligence. If you or a loved one is a victim of anesthesia negligence and you don’t know where to begin in receiving help, consider the following questions that previous clients have posed when faced with a similar situation:
What is anesthesia?
Anesthesia is the use of medication to block pain in the body. Decreasing the level of pain in a patient is not just a nicety; it is actually a necessity in many cases. Before the introduction of effective anesthesia, patients often died of shock from intense pain when undergoing prolonged or intensive surgery. Thanks to developments in modern medicine, anesthesia is safer than ever. This means that when problems occur from the administration of anesthesia, it is usually due to negligence because technological advances have made it so safe. Proving anesthesia negligence can still be difficult, however, so enlisting the help of an experienced anesthesia negligence attorney is a wise step to protect your interests.
There are three types of anesthesia used today: The first type is general anesthesia in which the patient is fully unconscious; the second type is a regional anesthesia in which a section of the body is numbed to pain, such as an epidural given during childbirth, and the third type is a local anesthesia in which the anesthetic is applied to only a small area of the body, such as when a patient is getting minor stitches.
What are some examples of anesthesia negligence?
You may have an injury claim if an anesthesiologist:
- Administers too little or too much of the anesthesia
- Disregards the alarm on a pulse oximeter, the device used to measure a patient’s blood oxygen level
- Fails to adequately monitor a patient during surgery for signs of complications from the anesthesia
- Intubating, or placing a breathing tube in the patient, incorrectly
- Fails to properly monitor a patient during emergence, the period during which the anesthesia wears off after surgery
Any of these issues and others may constitute negligence on the part of an anesthesiologist.
What kind of compensation can I ask for?
Financial compensation for your losses can be an important step in the road to recovery. Knowing how much to ask for in compensation is a difficult decision that an experienced attorney can help you determine. Victims who ask for too little in compensation may end up with outstanding debt from their medical costs, but victims who ask for too much in compensation may not receive anything at all if the judge or jury feels they are being unreasonable. Some factors to consider are the medical costs already accrued, but also the medical costs of any reparative procedures that may need to be done to correct an error. You may also want to take into account lost wages, pain and suffering, as well as lost future earnings from the negligence that harmed you.
Who can be held liable?
In medical malpractice claims, either the doctor or hospital is liable. In anesthesia malpractice cases, that doctor is typically your anesthesiologist. If the anesthesiologist is a hospital employee, the hospital is liable. Even in cases where the anesthesiologist works for the hospital independently, the hospital is sometimes liable for contracting them. Hospitals may also be responsible in situations of equipment failure.
Do I need an attorney?
Proving negligence in any medical malpractice case can be difficult, but especially in regards to anesthesia negligence. The general health of the patient plays a significant role in how anesthesia works, so it may be easy for an anesthesiologist to claim that the patient was partially responsible. The fact that a patient is usually unconscious when the negligence occurred puts the patient at a serious disadvantage. Additionally, deciphering medical records to understand what transpired during a surgery with regards to the anesthesia requires specialized skill and experience. Fortunately, at Crowe & Harris, LLP we have a dedicated team of legal and medical experts to help both investigate and litigate your claim successfully.
If you or a loved one is a victim of anesthesia negligence, you are likely still suffering from the adverse effects. Instead of adding to that burden by trying to represent yourself, allow an experienced attorney to fight your legal battles. You should be focused on your health needs, not your legal needs at this difficult time.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of anesthesia negligence, we may be able to help you figure out what went wrong. Contact a Boston anesthesia negligence attorney at Crowe & Harris, LLP , by calling (617) 404-3417 today for a free consultation with an experienced member of our medical-legal team.
