When we visit the hospital for a medical procedure, we trust the doctors, nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists to provide a certain standard of care. For operations involving anesthesia or intubation, precision is crucial — but if a medical professional makes a mistake during these procedures, you can experience serious complications.
If you are suffering from an injury after an anesthesia or intubation error, Hilley & Frieder, P.C. can help. Our Atlanta anesthesia and intubation error attorneys will work tirelessly to help you obtain the compensation you need to recover. Contact for a no-cost case consultation.
Medical professionals use anesthesia and intubation during serious medical procedures, like surgeries, and during medical emergencies. Many complications may occur if the professional does not have the proper training or does not take proper care when performing these procedures.
During intubation, a medical professional places a tube down your airway to connect you to a ventilator that allows you to breathe. However, complications can arise due to negligent errors, including the following:
For anesthesia, the anesthesiologist must administer an appropriate dose so you do not suffer any pain or sensation during your procedure. You may suffer an anesthesia injury due to any of the following acts of negligence:
Any of these errors can result in serious medical complications, including stroke, brain damage, and death.
Medical malpractice lawsuits, like all civil lawsuits, rely on the concept of negligence. To successfully secure a settlement in your case, you will need to prove that the medical professional committed negligence during your procedure.
You and your injury lawyer in Atlanta will need to prove the following four elements to establish the presence of negligence:
At Hilley & Frieder, P.C., you will receive access to resources necessary to prove these elements and establish the strongest claim possible, including medical experts who can evaluate the evidence and provide testimony on your behalf.
If an error in how anesthesia is administered results in the injury or death of a patient in Georgia, the victim or his or her surviving loved ones may be able to hold one or multiple parties liable (financially responsible). Determining the liable party or parties is one of the first steps in filing a medical malpractice claim. Identifying the defendant(s) may require an in-depth investigation by a medical malpractice attorney in Atlanta, who will look at all possible options to identify the person or entity at fault.
Administering anesthesia is a group effort. One of the professionals involved is the patient’s doctor, who is responsible for reviewing the patient’s medical history, documenting his or her known allergies, and assessing the patient’s pre-surgical risk factors for receiving anesthesia. Negligence or errors made by a physician in the early stage of treatment can result in a patient getting the wrong type or dosage of anesthesia later.
The anesthesiologist is often the most obvious defendant, as this is the professional who is directly in charge of mixing and administering anesthesia, as well as monitoring the patient during a procedure for signs of distress or other issues. If the anesthesiologist administers too much, too little or the wrong type of anesthesia, it can cause serious injuries, including permanent brain damage.
Nurses also contribute to the safe and correct administration of anesthesia. They are often responsible for collecting patient information that enables an anesthesiologist to concoct the correct anesthesia mixture, for example, such as the patient’s age, weight and blood pressure. If a nursing staff member makes a mistake, such as distracting the doctor or failing to monitor the patient, he or she can be held liable for a related anesthesia error.
If the practitioner that made the anesthesia error is an employee of a hospital or health care center in Atlanta, the facility itself can be held liable through the rule of vicarious liability. This rule holds an employer legally responsible for its on-duty employees. If the individual was an independent contractor, the hospital may still be partially liable for hiring, retaining and supervising the negligent physician.
Some anesthesia and intubation injuries arise due to defective medical equipment or products, even when the involved medical professionals do everything correctly. If equipment failure or defective drugs cause a patient injury, the manufacturer of the defective product may be liable. The hospital could also be responsible for failing to maintain and repair its equipment.
Determining liability for your anesthesia injury case in Atlanta, Georgia may take assistance from an experienced attorney. Some cases involve shared liability among two or more defendants. It is important to identify all liable parties, as this can maximize your financial recovery. Multiple defendants mean multiple insurance policies available for coverage. The lawyers at Hilley & Frieder can help you determine who is legally responsible for your anesthesia injury.
Once we identify the liable party, we will take steps to preserve and collect evidence of their fault. As the plaintiff in a medical malpractice claim, it is up to you or your attorney to prove that someone else is at fault for your anesthesia injuries. Proof must be clear and convincing enough to demonstrate that the defendant is liable for the damages in question with at least a 51 percent likelihood. Our lawyers can help you gather evidence to support your anesthesia or intubation injury case.
The evidence available may include eyewitness statements, medical records, test results and lab reports, notes made by nurses and doctors, pre-anesthesia records, operative records, and anesthesia expert testimony. It is important to act quickly to obtain copies of these records and documents, as this is a vital first step for building a medical malpractice lawsuit. Contact a lawyer right away to improve your chances of preserving key evidence.
Anesthesia and intubation errors can have a serious impact on your life. A personal injury lawsuit allows you to recover the funds you need to pay for medical expenses, lost wages, emotional damages, and more.
Trust Hilley & Frieder, P.C. to advocate aggressively for your right to recovery. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with our Atlanta anesthesia injury lawyers.
