Medical professionals use anesthesia to prevent patient pain during medical procedures. Although it’s a necessary tool, its effect on the nervous system makes errors in anesthesia especially dangerous. When injuries result from Indiana anesthesia errors, the patient may seek compensation through a medical malpractice claim.
Indiana Anesthesia Errors
Anesthesia can be administered locally or systemically. Local or regional anesthesia suppresses a patient’s nerves in a specific area of their body. For example, dentists use a local anesthetic when they prepare to fix a cavity or fit a dental crown. Another common example of local anesthetic is an epidural.
Systemic anesthesia—commonly referred to as general anesthesia—is medicine that is administered to allow a patient to be completely sedated. This is used in surgeries and medical procedures to create a painless and unconscious state for a patient.
You might think that local anesthesia would be the safest option because it doesn’t affect as much of your body and mind as systemic anesthesia. However, anesthesia errors in Indiana can be just as dangerous in either scenario.
Indiana Anesthesia Errors in Epidurals
Epidurals are provided commonly to women who are actively engaged in childbirth. However, childbirth is not the only case in which epidurals are used. They can also be provided to people who are having back or spinal pain.
An epidural is an injection in the spine in the epidural space of the spine or the space around the spinal cord. The injection includes medicines to block nerves to reduce or eliminate pain.
Anesthesia errors during epidurals can have dangerous and deadly side effects. Some errors that can occur include inserting the needle into the wrong space, failing to monitor vitals and side effects of the medication injected, and using too much medicine. Complications can include or result in blood pressure or breathing issues, blood clot issues, permanent loss of feeling, and paralysis. If conditions like these or others are left unmonitored or untreated, the complications of epidural anesthesia could lead to death.
Systemic Anesthesia Errors in Indiana
Systemic anesthesia is used to put patients “to sleep” or in a state of unconsciousness while also blocking the central nervous system in the body so that a patient can remain unaware and pain-free during surgical or other medical procedures.
Errors occurring in these situations can include using too much or too little anesthetic medicine, failing to adequately monitor patient vital signs, and negative drug reactions or interactions. Such errors can cause complications for a patient’s surgery or procedure. This can lead to prolonged procedures and even potentially cause a patient death before the procedure can be completed. Too little anesthesia can cause a patient to awaken and/or feel the pain of the procedure.
Indiana Anesthesia Malpractice Claims
Side effects from anesthesia errors can be mild to severe to deadly. So many things can go wrong during a surgery or procedure that anesthesia errors may not be the first thing that comes to mind. It also might not be immediately obvious to individuals without medical knowledge that an anesthesia error occurred.
If you’ve suffered complications or injury from a medical procedure that could be related to the use of an anesthetic or how it was administered, consult a knowledgeable attorney right away to protect your rights. Indiana anesthesia errors lawyer David Allen from Camden & Meridew, P.C. can review your medical history and fight for compensation from the responsible parties. To learn more about how David can help with your case, call 317-770-0000 or complete our online contact form. We can help by evaluating any possible medical malpractice claims you may have.