Anesthesiologists typically spend eight years in training after college, including four years in medical school and four years in residency. This field is one of the most important and most difficult because anesthesiologists take on the responsibility of keeping patients comfortable during surgery, often by administering powerful drugs.
Unfortunately, sometimes anesthesiologists don't live up to their training, and they provide care that falls short. This can cause very serious harm to patients, including death or permanent damage. Those who are affected, or their surviving loved ones, may be able to take legal action in these difficult situations, but you'll need the right Birmingham medical malpractice attorney to fight for you.
Singleton Schreiber is the place to turn. Our Birmingham injury attorneys' decades of experience representing clients, long history of successful settlements and verdicts, and top-notch client ratings demonstrate that we have what it takes to pursue justice after you've been hurt by one of the most highly-trained medical professionals in the industry.
To learn more about the legal services our Birmingham anesthesia error lawyers can provide, give us a call or contact us online today.
Types Of Anesthesia Errors
Many different things can go wrong when your doctor is administering anesthesia. Some of the most common types of anesthesia errors include:
- Administering the wrong dose of medication, including overdosing or underdosing a patient
- Administering the wrong drug
- Failing to account for how an anesthesia medication will interact with other medications or supplements that a patient is taking
- Delaying the delivery of the anesthesia drugs and causing the patient to experience discomfort during a procedure
- Administering a medication that a patient is allergic to
- Failing to monitor the patient's vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen level, while the patient is under anesthesia
- Not treating the signs of patient distress promptly
- Failing to place a breathing tube correctly and obstructing the patient's airway
- Problems with the anesthesia machine or monitoring device
These types of errors can occur as a result of negligent providers or problems with the policies at a healthcare facility, such as hospitals or clinics that do not maintain equipment properly or fail to ensure that drugs are labeled appropriately, so the right medications are administered.
Consequences Of Anesthesia Errors
When a problem arises with anesthesia, the consequences to patients can be dire. Some of the potential complications that can occur due to anesthesia errors include:
- Brain damage
- Oxygen deprivation
- Heart attack or other cardiovascular problems
- Stroke
- Nerve damage
- Allergic reaction leading to anaphylaxis
- Tissue damage
- Post-traumatic stress and pain for patients who have anesthesia awareness
- Coma from damage to the central nervous system
- Death
In many tragic cases, patients are never able to recover fully from the anesthesia error. Patients may need expensive life-saving treatment, ongoing medical care, adaptive devices, or ongoing help from medical professionals. They may also have their ability to work and enjoy their life impacted by the anesthesia error.
When Can You Get Compensation For Anesthesia Errors?
If you or someone you love was harmed by an anesthesia error, you may be entitled to get compensation for your losses. You could potentially take action against:
- The anesthesiologist who caused you harm
- The support staff working for the anesthesiologist or clinic, if their failures were a contributing factor
- The hospital or other healthcare facility, either because of its own negligent policies and practices or under vicarious liability rules that hold healthcare facilities legally liable for the on-the-job negligence of their staff members
- Manufacturers of anesthesia or monitoring machines, if a defect in the product was the cause or contributing factor to your damages
It is important to identify all of the possible defendants and to understand the legal arguments that you will be making to hold each party liable. That's because proving a claim under vicarious liability is different from proving a medical negligence claim.
Singleton Schreiber will work with you to determine who can be liable for losses and can help you to gather the necessary evidence to make a strong case for justice.
What Does A Birmingham Anesthesia Errors Lawyer Do For You?
At Singleton Schreiber, our legal team is there for you from day one, providing compassionate and caring legal representation. We bring decades of experience and a history of successful verdicts and settlements to every case, and we can help with:
- Identifying all potential defendants, including anesthesiologists and others liable for your losses.
- Gathering evidence, such as medical records, to show what went wrong and how badly you were harmed.
- Finding expert witnesses to testify on your behalf about how your provider fell short will strengthen your claim and help you maximize your chances of a successful outcome.
- Negotiating on your behalf with malpractice insurers. Our strong negotiation skills mean many of our clients have been able to recover substantial settlements without the stress of having to go to court.
- Representing you in civil litigation. You have the right to a trial if you are not offered a fair settlement, but not every malpractice lawyer has trial experience. Our team does. We know how to present evidence in accordance with court rules and how to make a compelling claim that maximizes your chances of a favorable verdict. We also have a long string of courtroom wins under our belt.
The outcome of your claim depends on the specifics of your case, but we can help you understand what to expect, bring strong legal knowledge to the table, work with you to make the most solid claim possible, and fight for you from beginning to end to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Contact a Birmingham Anesthesia Errors Lawyer Today
When you were harmed by an anesthesiologist who was supposed to help you through a medical procedure, you deserve the best legal representation possible to maximize your chances of getting full and fair compensation for both economic and non-financial damages.
A Birmingham anesthesia errors lawyer at Singleton Schreiber is here and ready to fight for you. Give us a call or contact us online today to schedule your free consultation and learn how we can help in your pursuit of justice.
