Anesthesia Injuries

Many anesthesia injuries are caused by human error and can be avoided by following appropriate standards of care and having high standards of practice.

Unfortunately, when standards are not followed or other mistakes are made, injuries from anesthesia can be severe and potentially life-altering. Injuries from anesthesia may include:

• Death (death from anesthesia related mistakes accounted for approximate 18.3% of all adverse anesthesia outcomes).
• Dental injuries (dental injury accounts for largest percentage of all anesthesia related injury claims).
• Nerve injury or nerve damage (never injury from anesthesia is usually due to poor positioning of the patient during surgery, or to nerve injections for general anesthesia).
• Eye injury (eye injuries from anesthesia can be caused by trauma during general anesthesia, exposure keratopathy, or chemical injury).
• Brain injuries (brain juries from anesthesia are typically caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain while the patient is under general anesthesia).
• Airway injuries (these may include, tracheobronchial injuries, vocal cord injuries, or esophageal injuries).

According to a study on the incidence of anesthesia-related injuries, the areas of anesthesia responsible for the highest amount of legal claims were as follows:

1. Surgical Anesthesia 65%
2. Chronic Pain Management 18%
3. Acute Pain Management 9%
4. Obstetrical Anesthesia 8%

Injury or death from anesthesia may be caused by:

• Failure to properly monitor patient vital signs and oxygenation levels
• Administering too much anesthesia
• Allergic reactions to anesthesia
• Failure to check or monitor medical equipment
• Defective medical equipment
• Failure to prevent harmful drug interactions

Bringing a Medical Malpractice Claim in Massachusetts

Legal claims for Anesthesia malpractice can be complex and require the use of experts in the field of anesthesia medicine, which is part of what the medical malpractice attorneys at Curran Law Group, P.C. will do on your behalf.

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries, which you believe may have been caused by anesthesia or an anesthesiology error; you may be entitled to recover compensation for your losses including, compensation for the following:

• Expenses for rehabilitation
• Past and future medical expenses
• Long-term disability
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of current or future earnings
• Long-term care expenses
• Loss of companionship from a loved one

If you have suffered injuries or harm as a result of a medical error including errors in the administration of anesthesia, your legal rights need to be protected. The first step toward protecting your rights in a medical malpractice case is hiring a Massachusetts medical malpractice attorney to begin investigating a potential claim on your behalf. The law office of Curran Law Group, P.C. in Weymouth has successfully handled numerous claims involving medical errors and medical malpractice throughout the state of Massachusetts. All medical malpractice claims in Massachusetts have a specific statute of limitations (i.e, deadline) and failure to bring your claim within that time may forever prevent you from a bringing a claim.

If you feel you have a potential claim for medical malpractice, it is important that you contact a medical malpractice attorney at Curran Law Group, P.C. at 781-331-3811 or use our contact form and we will contact you immediately.