Anesthesia-Related Wrongful Death

Patients who are undergoing surgical procedures are often given anesthesia in various forms. Anesthesia exists so that patients do not experience pain during surgery. There are different types of anesthesia, including general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and local anesthesia.

These diverse types of anesthesia affect the body differently, depending upon the drug combination and dosage. Anesthesia is made from an assortment of drugs—usually sedatives, dissociatives, and analgesics. These work to block nerve signals from reaching the brain and induce sleep, thus preventing pain from being detected by the patient.

How Wrongful Death Can Occur

Giving a person anesthesia is complicated and takes specialized education in the subject. When anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists give a patient their medication, errors can occur before, during, or after administering the drugs. Common errors that may transpire include:

Giving the patient the wrong dosage
Failure to monitor vitals
Failure to recognize complications
Failure to monitor oxygen delivery
Not disclosing preoperative instructions
Improperly intubating
Using defective equipment

When errors like these occur, medical facilities and professionals can be held liable due to negligence. Negligence occurs when these entities do not exercise reasonable care or commit a wrongdoing.

Because the body is slowed to a point near death, anesthesia can become very dangerous for certain patients with a complex medical history or who are older. Anesthesiologists must take this into consideration and provide a standard of care any other reasonable doctor in their field would use. Complications with anesthesia are rare, but may result in death when they do occur. Common complications with anesthesia include:

Stroke
Ulnar neuropathy
Asphyxia
Vein and artery damage
Heart attack
Brain injury

If anesthesia has resulted in the death of a loved one, beneficiaries or family members have a right to seek compensation for any damages they have incurred. This may include financial difficulties like loss of inheritance or earned income from the deceased, or non-economic damages like loss of companionship or care.

Kaplan & Lukowski, LLP is Atlanta’s leading wrongful death attorney. Our lawyers are dedicated to representing clients that are going through devastating experiences such as wrongful death due to anesthesia.

Contact Kaplan & Lukowski, LLP

If you have lost a loved one due to anesthesia-related errors or complications, contact our legal team to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. Our lawyers will go over your case and determine the best solution.