Between 2023 and 2024, one in nine individuals throughout the United States reported undergoing a surgical procedure, which means they undoubtedly also received anesthesia. When administered correctly, anesthesia gives surgical workers a higher degree of precision and safety while also protecting the patient from experiencing traumatic levels of pain.
But as vital as anesthesia is, it can be dangerous, especially when handled negligently. Anesthesia injuries can cause lasting damage, including cognitive impairment, nerve damage, and even wrongful death. If you have sustained injuries because of medical malpractice involving anesthesia, understanding your rights is essential.
What Are Anesthesia Injuries?
Anesthesia injuries are harms that occur during the administration of anesthesia. Anesthesia uses drugs called anesthetics to keep patients from feeling pain during medical procedures.
There are two categories of anesthesia:
- Local and regional anesthesia – Numbs a specific area of the body.
- General anesthesia – Puts the patient in a state of controlled unconsciousness so the surgical team can work without the patient becoming distressed or making an unexpected movement.
Local anesthetics can range from a simple injection to a nerve block, while general anesthesia employs a combination of drugs to achieve its effect.
Types of Anesthesia Injuries
Both local and general anesthesia come with a risk of complications, including:
- Dental and tracheal damage – Can occur if a breathing tube is not correctly positioned during intubation for general anesthesia.
- Ulnar nerve damage – Possible if a medical professional fails to administer anesthesia through an IV correctly or from injections provided for local anesthesia.
- Depressed respiration – Can result from an allergic reaction to the anesthetic or incorrect dosage; may result in brain injury if the organ is deprived of oxygen for a long enough time.
While rare, there are also situations when you could be awake and experience anesthesia awareness during a medical procedure. This usually happens when insufficient anesthesia is administered. It can be a painful and deeply harmful experience.
What Causes Anesthesia Injuries?
Most of the time, anesthesia injuries are the result of medical negligence.
Whether you need to receive anesthesia to address an injury that occurred during a car accident or if you have a condition that requires surgery, you expect to receive care that meets medical and legal standards. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen.
Below are common forms of medical negligence.
Medication Errors
A provider who fails to calculate dosages correctly or gives you the wrong anesthetic outright could put your life in danger. Too high a dose and you could stop breathing. Too low a dose can leave you awake but unable to move or say anything during the procedure.
Improper Training
Anesthesiologists must possess the appropriate training and licensing. If that’s not the case, they could cause all manner of harm to patients. Should that happen to you, you may be able to hold both the anesthesiologist and the medical facility liable.
Failure to Monitor Vital Signs
Medical professionals must monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing while you are under anesthesia. Failure to do so can lead to the professional overlooking your oxygen levels or a sudden drop in blood pressure–signs of an allergic reaction–and not remedying the condition in time to prevent harm.
Poor Patient Positioning
If you’re not positioned correctly while under anesthesia and moved as needed, you can develop pressure ulcers. It’s possible to suffer nerve damage, too, as well as soft tissue injuries that could leave you with lasting pain and stiffness.
Equipment Failure
If the equipment used in your procedure fails to monitor you or provide oxygen as needed, you can sustain serious injuries. In the worst cases, equipment failure can be fatal.
Communication Errors
Care teams must effectively convey vital information to one another. Any communication gap can lead to applying the wrong anesthetic, an incorrect dosage, or another serious mistake.
What Compensation Can I Recover in Louisiana After an Anesthesia Injury?
If you or a loved one suffered an anesthesia injury because of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to economic and/or non-economic damages.
Economic damages address financial losses sustained, including:
- Medical expenses, including future care (e.g., nursing care, occupational therapy for nerve damage)
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning potential (if unable to work permanently)
Non-economic damages cover non-obvious costs, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Where a loved one died after an anesthesia injury, you can seek compensation by filing a wrongful death claim for damages as well, including loss of support and companionship.
What Information Do I Need to Know About Anesthesia Injury Cases in Louisiana?
Louisiana considers anesthesia injuries under the umbrella of medical malpractice. This means specific standards of care apply, and strict deadlines exist for filing claims. In most cases, you have one year from the date of the injury—or the date you discovered it—to file a medical malpractice lawsuit. There is an absolute three-year limit.
Missing this deadline may prevent recovering compensation in court.
These cases are often complex and time-consuming. Thorough investigation is critical in determining negligence and causation, often involving expert medical testimony. This process involves a detailed review of medical records, anesthesia protocols, and the actions of medical personnel involved to determine if a deviation from the accepted standard of care caused the injury.
It is especially important to have experienced legal and medical professionals working collaboratively in order to be successful in an anesthesia injury claim.
Contact Santana & Blanchard Personal Injury Lawyers for Help After an Anesthesia Injury
If you suffered an anesthesia injury because of the negligence of medical professionals, you deserve to hold them accountable for their actions. But you don’t have to navigate the aftermath alone. You have the right to speak to a personal injury attorney.
Contact Santana & Blanchard Personal Injury Lawyers to learn more about pursuing the full compensation you deserve. With decades of combined experience and millions recovered in compensation for injured clients, we are well-equipped to navigate you through every stage of the legal process.
Call us today at (504) 323-6000. to schedule a free consultation with a Metairie personal injury lawyer.