Anesthesia Malpractice

What is anesthesia medical malpractice?
Anesthesia medical malpractice is when an anesthesiologist is negligent in his/her duties and causes serious injury or even death to their patient due to mistakes made. By definition, negligence as related to medical malpractice cases means that the practitioner failed to provide a standard of care in keeping with other professionals in their field.

Where can anesthesia medical malpractice occur?
In addition to operating room errors, such as incorrectly incubating a patient or failing to monitor their vital signs during the operation, an anesthesiologist can be held accountable for their negligence:

  • During pre-operative preparation
  • During post-operative consultation
  • Failing to educate their patient regarding food or alcohol restrictions before or after the procedure
  • Operating with defective equipment

What injuries are associated with anesthesia medical malpractice?
If an anesthesiologist is negligent in their duties, the injuries sustained can be catastrophic. Since anesthesiologist errors are so numerous and devastating, anesthesiologist medical insurance premiums are much higher than other medical specialties. Common injuries that result from anesthesia error include:

  • Brain damage
  • A lung collapsing
  • Stroke
  • Death

Financial Compensation

What financial compensation is the victim of anesthesia malpractice entitled to?

Due to the devastating nature of injuries associated with , financial compensation for the injured or for the survivors in cases of wrongful death has the potential to be massive.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to an anesthesiologist's negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for:

  • Medical bills
  • Long term care
  • Permanent disability
  • Mental impairment
  • Loss of wages and diminished future earning capacity

How long will it take to receive compensation?
According to the National Practitioner Data Bank's 2002 Annual Report, the average time delay between the incident and payment was 3.74 years.
Is it difficult to prove negligence in anesthesia medical malpractice cases?

Unfortunately, yes, proving negligence is difficult, but certainly not impossible. In order to increase the likelihood of receiving payment for your damages, it is vital that you preserve all records related to the operation.

The anesthesia medical malpractice attorneys at The Cochran Firm have offices across America and the capacity to successfully litigate anesthesia medical malpractice cases nationwide. If you believe you or a loved one has suffered personal injury or death due to an anesthesiologist's negligence, please contact the medical malpractice attorneys at The Cochran Firm today for your free case evaluation.