When people think about medical malpractice, they tend to think more about sponges being left inside of patients or surgeons not being as careful as they should be. While these are indeed incredibly common forms of medical malpractice that impact many New Yorkers each year, cases involving anesthesia are also, unfortunately, very common. Anesthesiology medical malpractice cases often fly under the radar, but they are sadly among the most preventable kinds of medical malpractice.
What Are the Causes of Anesthesiology Medical Malpractice Injuries?
Unfortunately, many commonly reported anesthesiology medical malpractice injuries are caused by doctors ignoring directions and physicians bypassing explicit safety protocols. A recent report on anesthesiology medical malpractice showed that some anesthesiologists do not properly check their equipment prior to the surgery. Additionally, some physicians place heating devices or hot bags directly on or very close to patients’ skin, which can cause patients to suffer severe burns. Further, it is not uncommon for physicians to refuse to follow common safety protocols in an effort to expedite the procedure. There is little room for error when it comes to anesthesia, which is why even the slightest bit of negligence or unprofessionalism can cause a patient great harm.
What Injuries Are Caused by Anesthesiology Medical Malpractice?
Anesthesiology medical malpractice cases are not just limited just to anesthesiologists, as a large number of other practitioners also administer anesthetics. Anesthesiology medical malpractice cases can also involve the negligence of dentists, medical residents, surgeons, and nurses. What this means is that with any surgery or medical procedure that requires you to go under, there are a number of different people who, if they do not follow procedure protocols to a “T,” are in a position to cause you great harm.
The types of injuries that result from anesthesiology medical malpractice can be very severe. In addition to burns as discussed above, air embolisms, injury to blood vessels, brain damage, paralysis, and even death can result. In fact, research shows that the most common anesthesia related medical malpractice claim involves death. Anesthesiology medical malpractice injuries are no joke and deserve serious attention and care from dedicated New York personal injury attorneys.
What Can I Do if I Was Harmed While Under Anesthesia or Because of Anesthesia?
Filing personal injury medical malpractice cases arising from anesthesiology medical malpractice requires the skills of experienced attorneys. It can be very hard to demonstrate that the medical practitioner or their staff acted negligently, because you were unconscious and because there are often unreliable and brief records describing what happened in the operating room. Our firm is experienced in preserving necessary medical records and using depositions and cross-examination tactics to secure additional information about what happened during your procedure. We will not rest until we get the full story.
Need to File an Anesthesiology Medical Malpractice Claim?
If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of anesthesia, you deserve compensation for your suffering. At Scaffidi & Associates, we combine compassionate client care with aggressive client representation to help our personal injury clients recover the most money possible and allow them to begin rebuilding their lives. You deserve the best New York anesthesia errors attorneys, and at Scaffidi & Associates we are ready to fight for you. Contact us today.
Posted in: Medical Malpractice