Every year, thousands of anesthesia errors are reported across the United States. Research suggests that errors in administering anesthesia occur approximately 0.02% to 1.12% of the time. For many, the consequences of anesthesia errors can be catastrophic, causing serious physical injury, disability, or death. As the victim of anesthesia malpractice in Jackson, Mississippi, it’s important to know your rights.
The Jackson injury attorneys at Singleton Schreiber help victims of medical negligence take action when costly medical mistakes change their lives. As award-winning trial attorneys with decades of combined experience, we’ve worked hard and recovered over $3 billion in personal injury damages for clients across the nation.
Now, our local Mississippi trial attorneys are ready to leverage our law firm’s national resources to help you achieve financial justice with your anesthesia errors lawsuit, too. Contact our Mississippi law office in Jackson to get started. Your first consultation is free.
What is an Anesthesia Error?
Anesthesia errors are mistakes made in administering or monitoring anesthetic medications to a patient, typically during surgery or another medical procedure.
Common anesthesia errors include:
- Administering an improper dose of an anesthetic medication
- Administering an anesthetic at the wrong time
- Administering an anesthetic to which the patient is allergic
- Failing to intubate a patient properly during an anesthetic event
- Failing to track a patient’s vitals – including blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels – while receiving anesthesia medication
- Failing to adjust anesthetics as necessary during a procedure
- Misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose complications related to anesthesia
- Equipment malfunctions
These types of things shouldn’t happen when an anesthesiologist demonstrates an appropriate level of care and skill. When doctors get careless, costly anesthesia mistakes can be made, putting patients' lives at risk.
What Injuries Are Related to Anesthesia Malpractice?
Depending on the extent of the error that’s made when administering anesthesia, potential consequences and injuries can include:
- Nerve damage
- Brain injury
- Stroke
- Allergic reactions
- Respiratory distress
- Heart attacks
- Spinal cord injury
- Collapsed lung
- Organ failure
The number of deaths attributed to anesthesia errors is relatively low considering the number of surgeries that are performed in the United States each year. However, the leading cause of the hundreds of deaths that do occur is general anesthesia overdose, which accounts for 46.6 percent of anesthesia-related wrongful deaths.
Who’s Liable For Anesthesia Errors?
Anesthesia errors are a matter of negligence. They’re a medical event that should never happen, not when the anesthesiologist and medical team exercise an appropriate level of care when treating a patient. When mistakes in the application or monitoring of anesthesia do happen, anyone who plays a part in that medical error can be liable if the patient suffers an injury or dies.
Depending on the specific circumstances of your anesthesia injury, potentially liable parties might include a/an:
- Anesthesiologist, whose primary responsibilities involve reviewing a patient’s medical history, calculating an appropriate dose, administering the anesthetic medication, and monitoring a patient’s vitals
- A nurse, who can be responsible for relaying important patient information to the anesthesiologist, monitoring a patient after they receive anesthesia, and setting up necessary equipment
- A hospital, which can be liable for negligent hiring or having inadequate policies and procedures in place regarding anesthesia events
- Equipment manufacturers, who are responsible for providing safe, non-defective equipment used in administering anesthesia
Ultimately, anyone on the medical team who is negligent and contributes to an anesthesia error can be on the hook for a patient’s injuries.
You won’t have to worry about liability when you turn to BRAND for help. Our Mississippi medical malpractice attorneys in Jackson will carefully investigate your case, determine the cause, and identify who’s at fault before building a strong legal claim to help you leverage a substantial monetary award.
What Damages Can I Recover If I’ve Been Harmed by an Anesthesia Error in Jackson?
As the victim of anesthesia malpractice in Mississippi, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against your anesthesiologist and/or other responsible parties to recover compensatory damages.
Compensatory damages fall into two categories – economic and non-economic.
Economic damages can help you handle the financial consequences related to your anesthesia injury, which could include:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing assistance
- Disability
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
Non-economic damages can acknowledge the trauma you’ve experienced as the victim of anesthesia malpractice, and often include money for:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Inconvenience
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Chronic pain
Punitive damages can also be awarded under MS Code Section 11-1-65 when there is clear and convincing evidence that an anesthesiologist or another defendant acted “actual malice, gross negligence which evidences a willful, wanton or reckless disregard for the safety of others, or committed actual fraud.”
How Long Do I Have to File an Anesthesia Error Lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most medical malpractice lawsuits in Mississippi – including those related to anesthesia errors – are subject to a two-year statute of limitations. If an anesthesia error isn’t evident right away, the statute of limitations can be tolled for up to seven years.
You must file your claim by the seventh anniversary of the date the anesthesia error was made, or you’ll risk losing the right to recover compensation for your losses. In cases involving minors, the statute of limitations may be tolled even longer. If you believe you have an anesthesia error claim, contact an attorney without delay to learn more.
Call Singleton Schreiber For a Free Consultation With a Jackson, MS Anesthesia Errors Lawyer
Anesthesia is an important and complex aspect of healthcare. Anesthesiologists receive years of education and hands-on training to ensure that patients can receive the best possible care. When an anesthesiologist makes a mistake, the results can be catastrophic. In these situations, it’s imperative that they’re held accountable. Singleton Schreiber can offer the level of high-quality legal representation that’s required to achieve the best possible results in tough medical malpractice cases like these.
Our Jackson, MS anesthesia errors lawyers have decades of experience representing clients in complex personal injury cases. We’ve cultivated close relationships with leading medical professionals and expert witnesses whose insight and influence can be invaluable to the success of the matters we litigate. Drawing on a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Mississippi medical malpractice law, we’re consistently able to stand up to powerful hospitals and healthcare providers and achieve positive outcomes for our clients.
Discover how working with our fearless advocates in Jackson, MS, can help you make the most of your anesthesia errors lawsuit. Call us to schedule your free consultation today.
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