Michigan Anesthesia Mistake Attorneys
Having a medical procedure that requires anesthesia is a serious matter. Special steps must be followed to ensure the safety of the patient and a successful outcome. Fortunately, most of the time anesthesiologists and doctors follow the proper standard of care and the procedure is completed with a positive result.
However, mistakes can occur during a procedure that requires anesthesia. When they do, an investigation by legal professionals into the procedure by searching the pre-operative records, the operative report and post-op records may be needed to discover if a breach of the standard of care did occur.
Cases of anesthesia mistake become viable medical malpractice cases when the standard of care is breached. The standard of care is the treatment process that a clinician should follow for a certain type of patient, illness, or clinical circumstance. In legal terms, it is how similarly qualified practitioners would have managed the patient’s care under the same or similar circumstances.
There are four primary types of anesthesia:
- General anesthesia is usually used for major surgical procedures and involves a total loss of consciousness.
- Spinal anesthesia (epidural) is generally used for surgery involving the lower body.
- Regional anesthesia (nerve blocks) is injected near a nerve to temporarily block pain signals to the brain.
- Local anesthesia involves numbing the skin and the surrounding tissue.
Administering any type of anesthesia is a delicate procedure and can be dangerous if done incorrectly. There are many causes for anesthesia error. Below are the more common examples:
- Delayed anesthesia delivery
- Anesthesia dosage error – overdose or underdose
- Failure to properly administer oxygen during surgery
- Failure to properly monitor the patient
- Improper intubation
At the Law Offices of Lee B. Steinberg, P.C., our Michigan anesthesia mistake attorneys will fight to protect your rights in cases of anesthesia mistake, as well as obtain the money and care you and your family deserve. We have handled numerous cases involving anesthesia mistake and we can answer your questions in this area.
If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call the Law Offices of Lee Steinberg P.C. at 1-800-LEE-FREE (1-800-533-3733). The initial consultation is FREE of charge and we work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid only if you receive a monetary award.