Rochester Anesthesia Malpractice Lawyers

Anesthesia is an integral part of medicine, allowing surgeons to complete medical procedures without causing pain or scaring patients. In most situations, anesthesia is safe. Research shows that the mortality rate of anesthesia complications is 0.4 per 100,000 patients, so there is a death for about every 200,000 procedures. Still, anesthesia errors do occur and can result in significant or fatal injuries.

It can be difficult to know whether your adverse outcome following a procedure involving anesthesia is the result of medical malpractice. At Powers & Santola, LLP, we have decades of experience fighting to protect the rights of personal injury and medical malpractice victims. We have collectively recovered millions of dollars for deserving clients just like you, including several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. We can evaluate your case for free and explain whether you have a viable medical malpractice claim. Contact us today to arrange your free consultation.

What Are the Most Common Types of Anesthesia?

There are three main types of anesthesia, each with its own purpose and risks:

General Anesthesia

This is the form of anesthesia most people are familiar with and think of when they imagine the concept of anesthesia. General anesthesia renders the patient completely unconscious. This is the riskiest form of anesthesia because the medical provider is unable to communicate with the patient and ask how they are responding. Risks of using general anesthesia include:

Increased blood pressure
Increased heart rate
Food entering the patient’s lungs while they are unconscious, which can lead to pneumonia
Heart attack
Stroke

Local Anesthesia

Local anesthesia is a medication applied to a small part of the body to numb it. The patient remains awake during the medical procedure. While general anesthesia is the most dangerous type of anesthesia, any form of anesthesia can be dangerous if it isn’t administered or monitored properly.

Regional Anesthesia

Regional anesthesia blocks pain in a larger section of the body. Too much anesthesia can negatively affect a patient’s heart, breathing, or blood pressure. Nerve damage and infection can occur if regional anesthesia is not administered properly.

A licensed anesthesiologist must administer all types of anesthesia for it to be safe. The anesthesiologist is also responsible for monitoring the patient throughout the medical procedure to detect signs of distress or complications. Anesthesiologists are specialized doctors who have completed a four-year residency program, so receiving care from an anesthesiologist should be safe. Yet, medication errors involving anesthesia routinely occur.

Common Types of Anesthesia Mistakes

When an anesthesiologist fails to meet medical standards and makes a mistake, patients can suffer serious or life-threatening injuries. When this occurs, the injured patient may be able to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the healthcare providers responsible for their injuries.

Anesthesia errors that can give rise to medical malpractice claims may include:

Incorrect dosage – Dosage errors include giving a patient too much or too little anesthesia. Too much anesthesia can result in a coma or stroke, while too little can result in a psychological condition called anesthesia awareness, in which affected patients regain consciousness during a procedure in which they are supposed to be sedated but are paralyzed. They can sometimes hear doctors’ conversations and understand what is happening but are unable to communicate.
Failure to properly monitor the patient – Anesthesiologists must carefully monitor patients under anesthesia for possible complications. Failing to recognize dangers promptly or delaying action after an anesthesiologist calls attention to it can constitute medical malpractice.
Intubation problems – Some patients need a tube inserted into their windpipe to ensure they can breathe during surgery. The patient can be injured if the healthcare provider does not place the intubation tube properly or when necessary.
Oxygen problems – Oxygen deprivation can lead to brain damage.

If you or a loved one suffered harm after any of these errors, let our medical malpractice attorneys review your situation and explain how we can help.

Where Do Anesthesia Errors Occur?

Anesthesia is administered in many different medical settings, including hospitals and emergency rooms. Emergency room errors, such as mistaking patients or mixing up their charts, can lead to anesthesia errors.

Other places where anesthesia errors commonly occur include:

Labor and delivery facilities
Pre-operative and recovery rooms
Dental offices
Medical clinics and doctor’s offices during outpatient procedures

Because anesthesia errors can occur in many different medical facilities, the parties responsible for paying you compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering can vary. You may be able to hold the following parties responsible for your injuries:

Doctors
Surgeons
Hospitals
Medical facilities
Dentists
Orthodontists
Nurses
Cosmetic surgery clinics

Experienced medical injury lawyers can investigate claims and determine the parties legally responsible for injuries.

What Factors Contribute to Anesthesia Errors?

Anesthesia errors commonly occur when an anesthesiologist is careless and makes a mistake. Leading causes of medical malpractice and anesthesia errors include:

Sleep deprivation and fatigue
Impairment by drugs and alcohol
Communication problems
Lack of training or experienced
Improper supervision

An experienced lawyer can review your case to determine the factors that contributed to your injuries.

Injuries That Stem from Anesthesia Errors

Short-term effects of anesthesia include short-term memory loss, grogginess, dizziness, and confusion. However, when a patient receives negligent anesthesiologist care, they can suffer severe injuries, including:

Birth injuries if they are pregnant
Heart attack
Nerve damage
Healthcare-associated infections
Long-term memory loss
Suffocation when they are unable to breathe
Other breathing problems
Pneumonia, which occurs when stomach contents are inhaled into the lungs
Seizures, which are sometimes caused by an overdose of local anesthesia
Psychological injuries
Brain damage
Cognitive impairment
Coma

Some complications from anesthesia errors can be fatal.

If you suffered any of these injuries or lost a loved one due to a medical mistake, reach out to our experienced attorneys today. We can help you establish your legal claim and right to recovery.

What Do I Have to Prove in an Anesthesia Malpractice Case?

Proving that an anesthesiologist committed medical malpractice can be complicated. All doctors and medical professionals, including anesthesiologists, must perform their work according to proper standards of care. To establish a medical malpractice case, you must show that your anesthesiologist failed to meet the standard of care and harmed you by doing so.

The medical malpractice attorneys at Powers & Santola, LLP, have extensive experience building medical malpractice claims. We can identify, analyze, and effectively present evidence to establish your claim, such as:

Medical records – Your medical records can provide a trove of information to establish your health before the medical procedure, the healthcare providers involved in your care, and potential warning signs that your providers ignored.
Surgery videos – Some medical procedures are video recorded. Obtaining this critical evidence can be the key to establishing the errors that harmed you.
Witness statements – Medical professionals who have direct knowledge of what the anesthesiologist did during the medical procedure can provide valuable witness testimony.
Medical expert witnesses – An anesthesia error attorney can obtain expert testimony to support your claim and explain how the medical provider in question deviated from the applicable standard of care. Our experienced personal injury attorneys can have an expert review your case and prepare an affidavit to comply with New York’s medical negligence laws.

Contact our personal injury attorneys to learn about how we can help.

Damages in Medical Malpractice Cases

If a medical provider’s negligence injured you, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the parties responsible for your injuries. An experienced attorney can demand fair compensation for:

Medical expenses – You can receive payment for additional medical expenses you require because of the negligent care, including hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, therapy, and medication.
Lost income – You can recover compensation for your lost wages and any reductions in your long-term earning capacity.
Pain and suffering – Your medical malpractice claim can demand compensation for your physical, emotional, and mental pain, suffering, distress, and anguish.
Loss of enjoyment of life – You can receive compensation for disabilities, impairments, and other conditions that negatively affect your quality of life.

Damages include losses you’ve already experienced and those you reasonably anticipate incurring in the future.

What Is My Anesthesia Malpractice Case Worth?

Every medical malpractice case is different. There is no such thing as an “average settlement.” Individual factors specific to your case can affect your potential recovery, including:

The type and severity of injuries you suffered
The number and identity of the parties responsible for your injuries
The medical malpractice insurance available
Whether your case is tried or settled
The economic damages you suffered
The extent of your pain and suffering
Whether your injuries are permanent
How the injuries have affected your life
Whether you have an experienced attorney working on your case

Contact an experienced lawyer from Powers & Santola, LLP, to find out what your case might be worth.

What Is the Filing Deadline for an Anesthesia Malpractice Lawsuit?

There are strict time limits for filing medical malpractice lawsuits. The New York statute of limitations provides most victims of medical malpractice two and a half years to file a lawsuit against the party responsible for their injuries. The statute of limitations for a wrongful death case is two years from the date of your loved one’s death. If you miss this deadline, you can forfeit your right to seek compensation. Protect your rights by seeking legal representation from an experienced lawyer.

Why Should I Hire Powers & Santola, LLP?

If you are pursuing compensation through a medical malpractice claim, the attorney you choose to handle your case is one of the most important decisions you can make. Some of the reasons Rochester residents have trusted us to handle their medical malpractice claims include:

Our experience – Our attorneys have handled thousands of medical malpractice cases. We have successfully brought claims against negligent healthcare providers and established our clients’ cases, often resulting in six- or seven-figure results.
Our knowledge – We have an in-depth understanding of New York’s personal injury and medical negligence laws. We also have an extensive network of medical experts we rely on to bolster our clients’ cases further. We are trusted advocates for injury clients, which is why many other law firms refer their cases to us.
Our results – We have a proven track record of success, including millions of dollars in compensation for our deserving clients. We aren’t afraid to go up against large medical providers or their insurance companies.
The compassionate legal representation we provide – Our clients are sincerely happy to have worked with us. You can read our client testimonials to better understand what it would be like to work with our compassionate legal team.

Call our law firm today to schedule a confidential consultation with an experienced medical malpractice attorney.

Call Our Rochester Anesthesia Malpractice Lawyers Today for Your Free Consultation

Anesthesia error cases are some of the most challenging personal injury cases to pursue. Surgery has inherent risks, so it can be difficult to discern whether an adverse outcome was due to a medical mistake or some underlying health problem. A negative outcome after surgery does not necessarily establish your right to compensation.

Our Rochester anesthesia medical malpractice attorneys can evaluate your case and determine whether you have a viable medical malpractice claim. Powers & Santola, LLP is passionate about helping injury victims recover financial compensation to rebuild their lives after they’ve been derailed due to someone else’s carelessness.

If you believe your injuries were caused by an anesthesia mistake that could have been prevented, please reach out to our legal team today to learn how we can help. Call us at (585) 440-6734 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation.

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