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Legally Reviewed by:

Jonathan Rosenfeld
J.D

March 2, 2023

Over $400 Million worth of case results

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Every year, thousands of patients suffer from anesthesia complications during surgery. Although potential complications are rare during a surgical procedure, they can be life-threatening and result in permanent harm or even death, in which case you’ll want to consider contacting a Chicago anesthesia error attorney

A Journal of Patient Safety study revealed over 400 deaths are caused by anesthesia-related incidents annually.

Seeking Compensation After Anesthesia Errors

A personal injury attorney at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, will know how to investigate your case and determine whether you have a strong claim against anesthesia providers.

Contact a Chicago anesthesia error lawyer at our law firm at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.

Chicago anesthesia error lawyer

Thanks to modern anesthesia drugs, countless surgeries and medical procedures are effectively performed daily.

Anesthesiologists may use local anesthesia, general anesthesia, regional anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, or spinal anesthetic [1] to sedate the individual and block pain during open and laparoscopic surgery.

In some anesthesia error cases, the anesthesiologist’s improper or negligent administration of the correct type of medication or improperly administered oxygen results in severe injury or preventable death.

Illinois Medical Malpractice Attorney Pursuing Medical Mistakes

The Chicago anesthesia malpractice attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC, appreciate modern anesthetic techniques’ complexities yet are fully ready to prosecute situations involving permanent severe injuries or death.

We invite you to speak with a Chicago anesthesia error lawyer at our office for a free consultation regarding your legal options.

When doctors and other medical professionals have injured you, you need an experienced medical negligence attorney.

Anesthesiologists Failing to Closely Monitor Patients During a Major Surgical Procedure

When a patient undergoes surgery, the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist will administer anesthesia medications to maintain unconsciousness during surgical procedures. The anesthesia team must continuously monitor the patient’s vital signs and document surgery events in the anesthesiologist’s notes.

Properly monitoring the individual can avoid anesthesia awareness, a rare occurrence where surgical patients feel pain while under medication. Anesthesia awareness (feeling pain) could typically lead to emotional distress, mental trauma, intense pain, and PTSD [2] (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Most incidents involving patient injury from anesthesiologist errors are due to the medical staff failing to adequately monitor the person before, during, or after anesthesia is administered during surgical procedures.

Uncovering What Went Wrong During Surgical Procedures

Anesthetic errors may not be apparent based on the type of injury sustained by the patient. Therefore, the Chicago medical malpractice attorneys work with leading medical experts to review clients’ medical charts to determine what errors occurred during the surgical procedure when using general, regional, and epidural anesthesia.

Most severe human error incidents with anesthesiologists and medical staff have been attributed to respiratory complications after administering anesthesia to the patient. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) [3] compiles data on closed medical malpractice cases to learn and improve anesthesiology standards and reduce such errors.

Cardiac events in the medical malpractice claim category led to 25% of filed claims and medical malpractice lawsuits.

Possibility of Medical Mistakes with General Anesthesia, Regional Anesthesia, or Local Anesthesia Errors

The following conditions are associated with medication errors [4] and common injuries at a hospital, doctor’s office, or medical clinic, meriting further investigation:

  • Brain damage
  • Life-threatening allergic reaction
  • Permanent brain damage
  • Paralysis involving spinal cord damage
  • Even death

The common anesthesia errors leading to wrongful death from negligent medical professionals involved include:

  • Mistakes using local anesthetics
  • Regional anesthesia errors
  • Anesthesia overdose
  • Spinal anesthesia errors
  • Surgical procedure complications, failure to properly monitor general anesthesia
  • Complex medical procedures resulting in medical malpractice
  • Adverse effects from local or regional anesthesia
  • Failure to recognize complications with the patient, failure to properly monitor, and medical negligence

Although fatalities are relatively rare from spinal anesthesia – it does happen.

Anesthesia Error Malpractice FAQs

Below are frequently asked questions about anesthesia malpractice cases in Chicago, Illinois. However, you may have additional questions about your loved one’s care.

Contact our law firm for a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Cook County anesthesia malpractice attorney.

Why Does It Take So Long to Wake up From an Anesthetic?

Waking up from an anesthetic affects different people differently. There are various patient factors, the type of medication you took, painful stimulation, and the duration of the surgery.

Typically, the time it takes to wake up is due to the anesthetic agents and drugs the anesthesiologists gave the patient during the peri-operative time[5].

What are the Symptoms of Too Much Anesthesia?

Medication overdose produces common side effects, including respiratory distress, vomiting, nausea, seizures, hallucinations, hypothermia, dementia [6], physical impairment, mental impairment, prolonged unconsciousness, and other serious injuries.

Can You Have a Delayed Reaction to An Anesthetic?

Reacting to anesthetic medications does happen, but it is infrequent. An estimated one out of every 10,000 cases experience a reaction to an anesthetic medication. Cases involve improper monitoring of a patient, failure to identify complications, and not responding to vital alarms.

Most anesthesiologists received training to quickly recognize the common signs of an allergic reaction to avoid fatal injuries.

What Are the General Anesthesia Side Effects?

Generally, patients who experience a reaction to anesthetic medications can experience serious consequences with noticeable symptoms that include a rash, hives, coughing, mild shortness of breath, swelling around the lips, eyes, or face (angioedema)[7], and itchy skin, and a mild drop in blood pressure.

How Long Does It Take for General Anesthesia to Get Out of Your System?

Generally, the body can eliminate all drugs in about a week. However, the most noticeable effects of anesthetic medications are no longer detectable after approximately twenty-four hours.

Hiring Chicago Anesthesia Error Attorneys

Unlike other negligence cases, anesthetic error claims may not always be apparent. Therefore, our attorneys review medical records and operative reports to identify common anesthesia errors.

Is your loved one a victim of anesthesia errors from surgery or a nursing home?

If so, our experienced Chicago anesthesia error lawyers at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC can help by providing formal legal advice to hold the responsible party accountable.

Contact our Cook County personal injury law firm today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form for a free case evaluation and no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal options.

We accept all medical malpractice lawsuits on a contingency fee basis, meaning you’ll pay no upfront fees until your Chicago anesthesia error lawyer resolves your claim.

Resources: [1] NIH, [2] CDC, [3] ASA, [4] NIH, [5] NIH, [6] CDC, [7] NIH

Client Reviews

Jonathan Rosenfeld was professionally objective, timely, and knowledgeable. Also, his advice was extremely effective regarding my case. In addition, Jonathan was understanding and patient pertaining to any of my questions or concerns. I was very happy with the end result and I highly recommend Jonathan Rosenfeld.

- Michonne Proulx

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- Ethan Armstrong

Jonathan helped my family heal and get compensation after our child was suffered a life threatening injury at daycare. He was sympathetic and in constant contact with us letting us know all he knew every step of the way. We were so blessed to find Jonathan!

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Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial.

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