Anesthesia Errors

Pennsylvania Medical Negligence Claims - Anesthesia

Errors in the administration of anesthesia during surgery formerly accounted for a disproportionately high percentage of medical malpractice claims and damages awards, due both to the extremely severe nature of anesthesia errors and to the persistent failure of some anesthesiologists to maintain high professional standards. Eventually, anesthesiologists tightened board certification standards and improved both training and continuing education. Though far less common than they used to be, anesthesia errors have not been eliminated entirely, and continue to cause either death or disabling injuries. For a free consultation about your rights in a claim for malpractice by an anesthesiologist, contact Biancheria & Maliver, in Pittsburgh.

The main responsibilities of the anesthesiologist are to render the patient insensitive to pain during highly intrusive surgical operations, and to monitor the patient's vital signs to ensure an adequate supply of oxygen to the blood to avoid the risk of brain injury due to hypoxia or anoxia. Although an M.D. anesthesiologist is most often in charge of these functions throughout a surgical procedure, in some cases a nurse anesthetist will assume many of the anesthesiologist's duties. Either or both of these professionals can be named as a defendant in cases involving such anesthesia errors as the following:

• Poor intubation for the oxygen supply
• Using the wrong sedative drugs
• Providing an insufficient supply of oxygen to the patient
• Not maintaining adequate blood pressure
• Failure to monitor vital signs
• Failure to restore breathing promptly in case of stoppage

When the injuries caused by any of these serious mistakes are not fatal, they very often result in permanent and catastrophic brain damage. At Biancheria & Maliver, our attorneys' experience with the investigation and proof of both liability and damages in cases of anesthesia error can help maximize your recovery in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

For a free assessment and evaluation of your claim, contact the Pittsburgh medical malpractice lawyers at Biancheria & Maliver.