While You're Under for Surgery

The administration of anesthesia is a delicate art, and those trained in the field are highly skilled in using and monitoring the effects of anesthesia. This isn't to say that there aren't instances where this goes awry. The recent spate of anesthesia malpractice lawsuits is a good indication that this area of medicine is just as susceptible to lawsuits as other more traditional areas of medical malpractice e.g. misdiagnosis, severe reactions to drugs etc.

Knowing the patient prior to putting them under for surgery is the responsibility of the anesthesiologist and requires that they not only evaluate the patient, but also confirm pre-op data and keep a meticulous record of the goals for the operation. These records must contain all pertinent information about every member of the surgical team and must also include the fact that the patient was assessed for tolerance to certain anesthesia.

While the patient is under, the anesthesiologist is responsible for the correct placement of IV lines, keeping track of the ECG, oxygen levels and the automatic blood pressure cuff. In addition they also take the lead role for intubating patient airways and the handling and administration of the anesthesia, medicines and oxygen etc. Every task the anesthesiologist performs becomes a part of his or her records. These records may be examined as part of a trial.

When you stop to take a look at the role the anesthesiologist has in operations, it's not too difficult to imagine something going wrong before, during or after the surgery. Things can and do happen. Every time an anesthesiologist performs their crucial part of an operation, their intentions are to do the best job they know how to do. Rarely are their intentions to botch things up. However, if an error in judgment is made, or something else goes wrong, the patient is the one who suffers the consequences of negligence.

If you feel that you have been a victim of something that went wrong while you were knocked out and being operated on, contact a skilled medical malpractice attorney. S/he will evaluate your case and advise you on how to proceed to justice.

Robert Webb is an Atlanta personal injury lawyer with Webb & D'Orazio, a law firm specializing in Atlanta personal injury, malpractice, criminal defense, and business law. Learn more at Webbdorazio.com.