How Anesthesia Errors and Surgical Mistakes Can Cause Harm
White Plains is a city in New York State that has around 60,000+ people living there, but it feels much bigger because so many people come in every day for work, shopping, or going to court. The city is right in Westchester County, which is one of the busiest spots near New York City. If you go downtown, you’ll see tall office buildings, a lot of stores, and the big courthouses where legal cases happen.
A lot of people also visit White Plains Hospital, which is one of the main hospitals in the area. Since it’s such a busy medical center, many surgeries are done there, and that means there is always a chance that mistakes like anesthesia errors or surgical errors can happen.
When patients or their families want to make a claim about medical malpractice, they usually want to find someone they can trust. You’ll always find a White Plains medical malpractice attorney who knows how to handle these cases step by step and is willing to help you.
What Are Anesthesia Errors?
Anesthesia is a medicine that makes people go to sleep or not feel pain during surgery. The person who handles anesthesia is called an anesthesiologist. Their job is very serious because they must make sure the patient gets the right type and the right amount of anesthesia.
They also must check things like the patient’s medical history, allergies, age, and weight. During surgery, they must keep watching the patient’s breathing, heartbeat, and oxygen. If they don’t do all this carefully, then the patient can get hurt.
Anesthesia errors can happen in different ways. The anesthesiologist might mix the wrong medicine, give too much or too little, or not check if the patient has allergies.
Sometimes they might mess up putting the tube in for breathing, or they might not tell the surgeon when the patient’s oxygen or heart rate is going down. These mistakes are super serious because they can cause brain damage, people waking up during surgery, or even death.
Types of Anesthesia Errors
There are lots of different mistakes that can happen with anesthesia.
Wrong Dosage
Too much anesthesia can stop someone from breathing. Too little anesthesia can make them wake up during the operation, which is called anesthesia awareness.
Not checking the patient’s background
Medical personnel might forget to check the patient’s past health or allergies. Also, sometimes the equipment used for anesthesia doesn’t work right, or the person using it doesn’t use it the right way.
Not monitoring the patient
Other times, the anesthesiologist might not watch the patient closely during the operation. If oxygen levels drop and no one notices, the patient’s brain can be damaged.
Bad communication
Another possible mistake is not communicating with the surgeon when something is going wrong. Since surgery is a team effort, if the anesthesiologist doesn’t speak up, the whole team might miss something important.
Common Surgical Errors
Surgical errors are different from anesthesia errors because they usually happen with the surgeon or the surgical team.
- Sometimes the doctor does surgery on the wrong body part, like fixing the left knee when it was supposed to be the right one.
- Sometimes doctors forget stuff inside the patient, like tools or sponges. Then the person can get an infection or need another surgery.
- Sometimes the doctor does the wrong surgery by mistake.
- Sometimes they cut or hurt a nerve or organ without meaning to.
- Sometimes they don’t keep everything clean, and that makes infections happen.
- Sometimes they don’t check on the patient enough after surgery, and the patient gets worse.
The Health Risks from Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia mistakes can cause many health problems.
For example, if a patient doesn’t get enough oxygen during surgery, it can cause brain damage.
Brain damage can lead to memory loss, trouble concentrating, nerve injuries, or even paralysis.
Anesthesia errors can also cause heart problems like heart attacks or arrhythmias. If the anesthesia causes the patient to stop breathing, they can die.
Allergic reactions are another danger. Some people are allergic to anesthesia medicines. A reaction can cause mild symptoms like a rash, but it can also cause very serious problems like anaphylaxis. That means the person’s airway can close, their blood pressure can drop, and they could die if not treated right away.
Key Takeaways
- Mistakes with anesthesia drugs, such as wrong dose, wrong type, or delayed delivery, can lead to pain, awareness during surgery, or serious injury.
- Not watching vital signs (like oxygen or heart rate) properly during surgery can cause brain damage or organ failure.
- Errors during surgery, like operating on the wrong site, leaving tools inside, or damaging nerves, are common and can lead to complications and big medical bills.
- If you are harmed by these kinds of mistakes, you may be able to make a malpractice claim. You’ll need things like medical records, proof of negligence, and sometimes expert testimony.
