Michigan Anesthesia Errors Malpractice Lawyers

An anesthesiologist is a doctor who cares for surgical patients, administering the appropriate amount of anesthesia to make them comfortable during medical procedures. Unlike other physicians, most do not specialize in treating patients for medical conditions or performing surgeries. However, some provide pain management services and injections for chronic pain.

An anesthesiologist’s duty is to make sure the patient has the required pain relief and sedation needed during their surgical procedures. They are responsible for administering the anesthesia, monitoring the patient’s vital bodily functions, such as heart rate, during surgical procedures, and carefully calculating the dosages of anesthesia and pain control medications necessary. Because of this essential function, any errors or mistakes made by these medical professionals could lead to extreme discomfort and even severe medical complications for a patient.

At Buckfire Law, we handle cases against a variety of medical professionals, including anesthesiologists who have breached their duty of care through careless action or negligent inaction. If you or a loved one was injured or suffered a worsened condition due to a complication during or after medical sedation, reach out to a compassionate Michigan anesthesia errors lawyer to discuss your legal options.

• The Risks of Anesthesia Procedures
• Suing an Anesthesiologist for Medical Malpractice
• Calculating Loss due to Anesthesia Errors
• How a Michigan Anesthesia Errors Attorney Can Help

The Risks of Anesthesia Procedures

There are inherent risks involved with any anesthesia procedure. However, the most common include:

• Abnormal reaction to drugs
• Intubation injuries
• Injury to vocal cords or throat
• Injury to teeth, lips, and tongue
• Brain damage
• Paralysis
• Malignant hyperthermia
• Death

While many of these complications might be unavoidable, depending on the patient, others are the cause of medical negligence. However, it can be difficult to determine the root cause of an injury or condition, especially when a patient is suffering from severe trauma. Because of this, hiring a seasoned Michigan attorney might be essential to determine blame for an anesthesia error.

Suing an Anesthesiologist for Medical Malpractice

To recover compensation through a civil lawsuit, an injured patient or their surviving family member must be able to establish fault. This is a complex legal process, especially for claims involving medical professionals. Our experienced Michigan anesthesia errors lawyers could file lawsuits when mistakes lead to their injuries from the:

• Failure to properly anesthetize
• Failure to properly sedate
• Failure to properly perform an epidural injection
• Failure to properly perform an intubation
• Failure to properly monitor a patient’s vital signs and condition during surgery
• Overmedicating or over-sedating
• Allowing a patient to wake up during a surgical procedure
• Failure to properly position a patient for surgery

Because every anesthesiologist owes a duty of care to patients, establishing whether these or other errors caused an injury is essential for a claim.

Calculating Loss due to Anesthesia Errors

Along with establishing fault, the extent of a claimant’s losses must also be calculated for a claim. This can include medical bills, lost wages from missed time at work, a decreased earning capacity, and other pecuniary damages that a claimant incurred as a result of their injury or worsened condition.

Beyond this, the emotional and physical loss can also be calculated. This includes pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, and loss of companionship. However, these damages do not have a definitive price tag and are, therefore, often more difficult to summarize for a claim. To this end, a compassionate anesthesia errors lawyer could work with a claimant in Michigan to calculate the full extent of their losses.

Furthermore, if an error made by an anesthesiologist results in a death, the surviving family members can file a wrongful death claim. These claims include additional losses to an injury claim, such as funeral and burial expenses. Family members are also entitled to compensation for the loss of society and companionship of the loved one for both past, present, and future.

Anesthesia Error Case Study

A patient suffered a brain injury during knee surgery. During surgery, her airway became obstructed and she developed cardiorespiratory arrest, which caused a hypoxic brain injury.

She sued the anesthesia team for medical malpractice. Prior to trial, the case settled for $1,830,000.

How a Michigan Anesthesia Errors Attorney Can Help

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury under the care of an anesthesiologist, you might be traumatized and unaware of your legal rights. However, when a medical professional’s neglect causes you harm, you have legal options and might be able to pursue a civil lawsuit to hold them accountable and provide some closure, as well as compensation for the harm caused by the mistake.

However, because of the strict time deadlines for filing medical negligence claims.  The sooner you reach out to a Michigan anesthesia errors lawyer, the better.

Call our experienced legal team at Buckfire Law to find out if you have a case and we will get started immediately. There are no fees unless you win.