Anesthesia Errors

Medical Malpractice Lawyers Assisting Residents of the Chicago Area

Many surgeries require patients to be placed under anesthesia. Types of anesthesia include general anesthesia, spinal anesthesia or epidurals, local anesthesia, regional anesthesia, and dissociative anesthesia. Our Chicago anesthesia error lawyers know that anesthesiologists have an enormous responsibility to keep a patient unconscious or semi-conscious, while also monitoring oxygenation and vital signs. Anesthesia errors may happen and be corrected during surgery so that the patient is not aware of them. However, in some cases they can cause devastating medical problems or even death. The medical malpractice attorneys at Moll Law Group fight for the rights of patients in Chicago and the surrounding cities if they have been harmed by an anesthesia error.

Holding a Negligent Anesthesiologist Liable for Damages

Serious anesthesia errors can result in organ damage, asphyxia, birth defects, cardiovascular collapse, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, seizures, stroke, coma, and death. There are many different kinds of anesthesia errors, including:

• Failure to monitor oxygenation;
• Failure to intubate a patient during surgery;
• Failure to review a patient's medical history;
• Communication failures;
• Dosage errors; or
• Too little anesthesia.

Anesthesia errors are also sometimes caused by defective equipment.

To prove that an anesthesia error was medical malpractice, you need to prove that the anesthesiologist breached the applicable standard of care and that this breach is what caused your injuries. To illustrate the standard of care, you need to provide expert testimony about the accepted practices for other anesthesiologists in the same geographic region, when treating a similar patient during the same type of procedure. An anesthesia error lawyer in the Chicago area can help you enlist a knowledgeable expert.

For example, appropriate intubation can be critical to make sure the patient can breathe properly during surgery. If an anesthetized patient faced breathing difficulties during surgery, he or she may suffer permanent brain damage. The plaintiff's expert will need to have experience and competence as an anesthesiologist and analyze all factors related to the surgery and the defendant’s actions. One issue in this case will be whether the anesthesiologist was properly monitoring the patient's breathing and whether a reasonable anesthesiologist in the same situation would have intubated the patient. The expert must provide a report that shows there is a reasonable, meritorious basis for the lawsuit.

In Illinois, you have two years from the date you knew or should have known about the anesthesiology error to take legal action. In most cases in which someone is injured by an anesthesia error during surgery, the victim or the victim’s family will realize the error shortly afterward. It is important to consult an attorney right away. The attorney will need to time to consult an experienced anesthesiology expert and get a report prepared.

If you successfully prove your case, you may be able to recover compensation. These include both economic and noneconomic forms of damages. The former often include medical expenses, lost income, lost earning capacity, vocational rehabilitation, and out-of-pocket costs. The latter may include mental anguish and pain and suffering.

Consult an Experienced Anesthesia Error Attorney in Chicago

The injury lawyers at Moll Law Group provide vigorous representation to Chicago residents and others who have been harmed as a result of medical malpractice. Billions of dollars have been recovered in cases in which we have been involved. Our attorneys also represent people in Naperville, Schaumburg, Wheaton, and communities throughout Cook County. Call us at 312-462-1700 or contact us through our online form to set up a free appointment with a Chicago anesthesia error attorney.