3 Types Of Wrongful Death That Can Occur Due To Anesthesia Malpractice
Posted on: 2 July 2019
People often think that wrongful death cases are specifically caused by ill-treatment practices by a doctor, but these cases can easily come about due to anesthesia malpractice just as easily. These medical professionals are tasked with providing medications that will keep you comfortable during a surgical procedure. If they make certain wrong moves, the outcomes can be fatal. Take a look at some of the types of wrongful death that can occur due to anesthesia malpractice.
A patient was administered a fatal dose of anesthesia.
When anesthesia medications are given to a patient before a surgical procedure is performed, the amount of medication used is determined first by looking at several different factors. For example, the weight of the patient will have a heavy impact on how much medicine is given. The anesthesiologist is responsible for determining precisely what dosage should be given before a surgical procedure, but sometimes mistakes are made. In the event an anesthesiologist mis-calculates the proper dosage level and introduces too much of a medication into a patient's body, it can lead to things like organ failure, brain damage, and more.
A patient was administered a form of anesthetic medication that they were allergic too.
There is a good reason why one of the first questions medical providers ask — and ask repeatedly — is what you are allergic to. You should be asked this question even more when you are heading into surgery because there are different forms of anesthesia medications used, and some of them are known to cause severe allergic reactions. Unfortunately, some of the allergic reactions can be so severe that they become fatal. If your loved one lost their life because they received something that it was known they were allergic to, this could be a wrongful death claim.
A patient was not given enough medication and a severe reaction followed.
Without question, anesthesia is a miraculous thing for surgical patients because they do not have to feel anything that is happening during the procedure. Unfortunately, if a patient is given too little anesthesia during surgery, it will compromise the medication's ability to numb the body or create complete sedation. For a patient who is feeling what is taking place by a surgeon, this can be a severely alarming and stressing situation, especially if they are sedated enough that they cannot alert someone. In some situations, this kind of mis-dosing can cause patients to have a stroke during surgery.
Contact personal injury lawyers near you to get help with situations that involve wrongful death.
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