Anesthesia errors can have consequences. Mistakes involving medication, monitoring, equipment, or patient care can cause brain injuries, nerve damage, organ failure, and complications.
Not every anesthesia complication is medical malpractice. Anesthesia carries known risks, and some adverse outcomes can occur even when medical professionals provide appropriate care. A medical malpractice claim generally requires evidence that a healthcare professional failed to meet the applicable standard of care and that the failure caused an injury.
If you or a loved one was injured by a suspected anesthesia error in Illinois, understanding what may constitute negligence may help.
Anesthesia malpractice occurs when an anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, physician, hospital, or other healthcare professional provides anesthesia care that falls below the applicable standard of care and causes harm. Anesthesia providers are responsible for more than administering medication.
Depending on the procedure, they may need to review a patient’s medical history, identify risk factors, select appropriate medications and dosages, monitor vital signs, manage the patient’s airway, respond to complications, and provide appropriate care during recovery. A mistake at any point in this process can potentially cause serious harm.
Anesthesia errors can take many forms. Some involve medication, while others involve monitoring, equipment, communication, or a failure to respond to a developing emergency.
Giving too much or too little anesthesia can create significant risks, including respiratory problems, dangerously low blood pressure, pain, or awareness during a procedure.
Providers should consider relevant medical conditions, medications, allergies, prior reactions to anesthesia, and other risk factors before administering anesthesia. Failing to identify an important condition or medication interaction may increase the risk of a preventable complication.
Patients under anesthesia require appropriate monitoring. Failing to recognize changes in oxygen levels, blood pressure, heart rate, or other vital signs can delay treatment and worsen an injury.
Anesthesia can affect a patient’s ability to breathe independently. Problems involving intubation, ventilation, airway management, or oxygen delivery can cause oxygen deprivation and serious injuries.
Anesthesia care can involve several medications. Administering the wrong medication, using an inappropriate dosage, or failing to recognize an interaction can cause serious complications.
Even when a complication cannot be prevented, medical professionals may need to recognize and respond to it promptly. Delays in treating low oxygen, abnormal heart rhythms, or dangerous blood pressure changes can worsen a patient’s outcome.
An anesthesia complication is not automatically evidence of malpractice. Anesthesia has inherent risks, and some patients experience complications despite appropriate care. To establish medical malpractice, the available evidence generally must show that the healthcare provider breached the applicable standard of care and that the breach caused the patient’s injury.
For example, an unexpected reaction to a properly selected medication does not necessarily establish negligence. By contrast, failing to account for a known allergy, administering an inappropriate dose, or failing to respond to a significant change in vital signs could support an investigation into whether the standard of care was violated.
The consequences of an anesthesia error depend on the nature of the mistake and the patient’s underlying health.
Potential injuries can include:
Anesthesia malpractice cases often require a detailed review of medical records and expert medical testimony.
The investigation may examine:
Because anesthesia care involves specialized medical decisions, determining whether a provider acted appropriately may require an expert in the relevant medical field.
Illinois law also imposes specific requirements on medical malpractice lawsuits. Under 735 ILCS 5/2-622, a plaintiff generally must file an affidavit and a written report from a qualified healthcare professional establishing that there is a reasonable and meritorious basis for the action, subject to the statute’s requirements and exceptions. The statute also specifies qualifications for the reviewing healthcare professional.
That requirement makes an early medical review particularly important in a potential claim for anesthesia malpractice.
Illinois has specific statutes of limitation that apply to medical malpractice claims. Under 735 ILCS 5/13-212, an action against a physician, registered nurse, or hospital arising from patient care generally must be brought within two years after the claimant knew, or through reasonable diligence should have known, of the injury, subject to the statute’s provisions.
The statute also generally imposes a four-year outer limit from the act or omission that caused the injury, with exceptions.
Other rules can apply in particular circumstances, including claims involving minors or other legally recognized exceptions. Because missing a filing deadline can prevent recovery, it is important to evaluate a potential claim promptly.
A successful medical malpractice claim may allow an injured patient or qualifying family members to recover compensation for losses caused by the negligence.
Depending on the circumstances, damages may include:
When an anesthesia error causes a permanent injury, calculating future damages can be important. A patient may require ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, assistive equipment, or changes to their living arrangements.
If an anesthesia error results in death, surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim under Illinois law.
If you believe an anesthesia error caused an injury, there are steps you can take to preserve information and better understand what happened.
Your immediate health should come first. Follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations and obtain appropriate treatment for any complications or injuries.
Medical records can be critical, including anesthesia documentation, medication records, monitoring information, and notes from before, during, and after the procedure.
Keep records of appointments, bills, medications, rehabilitation, time missed from work, and other consequences.
An unexpected complication does not necessarily mean someone was negligent. Determining whether an error occurred requires reviewing the medical evidence and the applicable standard of care.
An attorney can review the circumstances, obtain relevant records, consult qualified medical professionals, and determine whether a viable malpractice claim exists.
Anesthesia malpractice claims can be difficult to evaluate because the most important evidence may be contained in technical medical records that are not easy for patients to interpret.
Staver Accident Injury Lawyers can investigate whether an anesthesia provider or another healthcare professional may have failed to meet the applicable standard of care.
Our attorneys can:
The goal is not simply to identify an unexpected outcome. It is to determine whether the evidence supports a connection between a healthcare provider’s conduct and the resulting injury.
Anesthesia errors can involve incorrect medication or dosage, inadequate monitoring, airway management problems, medication interactions, and failures to respond to complications. There is no single error that applies to every anesthesia malpractice case.
Anesthesia awareness occurs when a patient becomes conscious during a procedure despite receiving anesthesia. It can have multiple causes, and the fact that awareness occurred does not automatically establish negligence. An investigation would need to determine whether the anesthesia provider failed to meet the applicable standard of care.
Yes. An anesthesia-related event that deprives the brain of adequate oxygen can cause a brain injury. The extent may depend on how severe and prolonged the oxygen deprivation was and how quickly it was treated.
The deadline depends on the circumstances. Illinois generally provides two years from when the claimant knew or reasonably should have known of the injury, subject to a four-year outer limit for many claims arising from patient care. Exceptions can apply, so a potential claim should be reviewed promptly.
Potentially. Liability depends on which provider made the error, the provider’s relationship with the hospital, and whether the hospital itself was negligent.
Anesthesia is an important part of many medical procedures, but mistakes involving anesthesia can have serious consequences. If a healthcare provider failed to administer, monitor, or manage anesthesia appropriately and you suffered an injury as a result, you may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim.
Staver Accident Injury Lawyers can investigate the medical evidence, consult qualified experts, and determine whether the circumstances support a claim under Illinois law. We offer free consultations and handle personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we win.
Contact Staver Accident Injury Lawyers today to discuss a suspected anesthesia error or medical malpractice claim.
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