Anesthesia is meant to make medical procedures safer and less painful. But when it goes wrong, the consequences can be serious and even life-changing.
People enter surgery trusting their medical team to keep them safe. Unfortunately, mistakes during anesthesia happen more often than many realize. These mistakes can lead to brain damage, nerve injury, heart problems, or even death.
Anesthesia injuries are often the result of negligent behavior from medical staff, such as giving too much or too little medication, not monitoring the patient properly, or ignoring clear warning signs of distress. The very thing that’s supposed to help you through a procedure can instead leave you with permanent harm. No patient should have to face that reality, but far too many do.
Common Types of Anesthesia Errors
Several types of anesthesia mistakes can cause harm, and each comes with its own risks and outcomes. One of the most severe is administering an overdose. Too much anesthesia can depress breathing, lower blood pressure dangerously, and deprive the brain of oxygen.
On the other hand, administering too little anesthesia may leave a patient awake and aware during surgery — a terrifying and painful experience called anesthesia awareness. People who experience this often remember the pain, hear the surgeons talking, and feel helpless to move or speak.
Sometimes, the problem isn’t the dosage but how the team monitors you during the procedure. An anesthesiologist should keep a close eye on heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure throughout surgery. If they fail to notice a drop in oxygen or other warning signs, it can lead to a brain injury, cardiac arrest, or permanent disability.
Allergic reactions to anesthesia can also cause harm if the medical team doesn’t check your medical history thoroughly. In some cases, doctors ignore clear red flags about how a patient might respond to certain drugs. Other times, equipment malfunctions like a faulty ventilator or empty oxygen tank create a dangerous situation that no one catches in time.
Why Do These Mistakes Happen?
Anesthesia errors usually come down to human error. Long shifts and overworked staff leave healthcare workers tired, so mistakes are more likely. An exhausted anesthesiologist may miss a crucial change in your vital signs or miscalculate a dose.
Inadequate training or lack of experience can also play a role, especially in high-pressure situations. Not every medical professional is prepared to handle complications, and when something unexpected happens, inexperience can make it worse.
During surgery, everyone in the operating room needs to be on the same page. If communication breaks down and critical information is missed or ignored, patients can pay the price. Sometimes, outdated or poorly maintained equipment creates unnecessary risks, and no one takes the time to fix it or check it properly.
How Anesthesia Injuries Can Affect Your Life
The impact of an anesthesia injury can ripple through every part of your life. People often wake up from surgery to find that something went horribly wrong. You might experience memory loss, difficulty speaking, chronic pain, or emotional trauma.
Even less extreme injuries can keep you out of work, drain your savings with unexpected medical bills, and strain relationships. Many also struggle with anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress after such a terrifying event. Nightmares, flashbacks, and fear of future medical care are common.
In severe cases, families are left caring for a loved one who is permanently disabled, in a coma, or unable to return to the life they once knew. Some families lose someone entirely to a fatal mistake. The emotional and financial toll can feel impossible to bear.
It’s not just about the immediate injury. It’s about the months and years of recovery, the setbacks, and the frustration of knowing it never should have happened in the first place.
Victims Deserve Accountability
If you or a loved one suffered an injury while under anesthesia, you’re not alone. Victims often feel overwhelmed at first and aren’t sure what to do next. But it’s important to know that these injuries often stem from negligence, and those responsible can and should be held accountable.
Although filing a personal injury claim is important for covering your medical bills and lost paychecks, it’s also a critical step in standing up for yourself and demanding accountability from those who hurt you. Victims deserve to have their voices heard and their pain acknowledged, and taking action can also help protect others by encouraging safer practices in the future.
Contact a Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Anesthesia injuries can turn lives upside down, but you don’t have to face it on your own. If you or someone you love has been hurt by an anesthesia error, Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers are ready to fight for you.
Contact us today at (312) 635-5400 to arrange a free consultation with one of our Chicago medical malpractice attorneys.