New York Anesthesia Medical Malpractice

There are many different types of medical malpractice which can cause serious personal injuries to patients undergoing medical procedures. While most people think of the surgeon as being a possible cause of the medical malpractice, there are other healthcare professionals who could be liable. One of the most sued speciality in medicine is anesthesia, including anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and anesthesia technicians.

This is because anesthesiologists are involved in many different types of procedures and have many different responsibilities. They also are responsible for performing some technical and important procedures. Anesthesia is, after all, the crux of all surgeries. Even if a patient is not being completely put out, anesthesia is still needed to help pain management and pain control, such as during a small procedure where a local anesthetic is used.

When anesthesiologists make mistakes, they can be liable for medical malpractice. There are many different types of mistakes which can constitute medical malpractice. For instance, the most obvious type of anesthesia area is adding too much of the medication cocktail which causes a patient’s death. An overdose is an obvious cause of medical malpractice. Additionally, too much of the anesthesia drug cocktail can also cause nerve damage due to the caustic nature of the drugs. It can also cause brain damage and other central nervous system injury.

Another type of anesthesia errors which are medical malpractice is when the anesthesia runs out during a procedure. If a patient wakes up during a surgery or if the paralysis medication—which stops the body from moving during a procedure—wears off and the patient starts to move involuntarily during the procedure, that is medical malpractice.

Anesthesiologists also perform multiple types of pain blocking procedures. One common procedure is called a nerve block, and it can be performed in various areas of the body. A popular location is in the top of the shoulder where all the nerves coming off the spinal column are going out to the arm and hand. An anesthesiologist can inject pain medication into a groove there and prevent and lessen pain sensation for a number of days after a surgery performed on a patient’s hand or shoulder. However, when the injection is too close to the nerves, an anesthesiologist can hit a nerve and permanently damage the nerve. This will result in both pain, numbness, loss of sensation, and even loss of motor function. This is medical malpractice.

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