New Jersey Anesthesia Errors Attorney

Anesthesia Errors

Although we routinely put our lives and the lives of those we love in the care of medical professionals, there is always an element of risk involved, beyond the injury or illness, of medical error. We all know that anesthesia, though a blessing for surgical patients since the middle of the 19th century, has to be very carefully administered. Too much anesthesia can result in brain damage, asphyxia, coma, a cardiovascular event, or death. Too little anesthesia can result in the trauma of patients waking and/or experiencing pain during a surgical procedure.

Fighting For Victims Of Anesthesia Errors During Surgery

At Nagel Rice, LLP, with offices in Manhattan and Roseland, we assist clients throughout New Jersey who have suffered from anesthesia errors and from all other types of medical malpractice. Our skilled, dedicated medical malpractice attorneys have won millions of dollars for clients who have suffered severe injuries from anesthesia errors. If you or a family member has suffered, or even died, because of an anesthesia error, we are fully prepared to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.

Types of Anesthesia Errors

Most anesthesia errors fall into one of the following categories of negligence:

  • Failure to give the patient instructions prior to surgery (about fasting, for example)
  • Improper or delayed administration of anesthesia
  • Improper administration of oxygen
  • Failure to monitor the patient or equipment during surgery
  • Failure to recognize patient distress or other complications
  • Failure to intubate or careless intubation that causes injury
  • Drug or alcohol impairment of a medical professional during anesthesia
  • Incorrect dosage resulting in over-sedation or anesthesia awareness
  • Administration of a medication that interferes with anesthesia
  • Complications due to defective anesthesia equipment
  • Turning off, or not heeding, equipment alarms
  • Usage of anesthesia or instruments to which the patient is known to be allergic

While some of the time, one or another of these circumstances may occur with no permanent damage to the patient, (you may not even know a problem occurred) if the surgeon or another member of the surgical team makes a serious mistake that causes lasting damage, you need, in addition to medical remedies, a capable medical malpractice attorney to see you through.

How Our Nagel Rice Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help

When dealing with doctors and hospitals that have high-powered legal representation on tap, it is essential that you have an experienced, knowledgeable medical malpractice attorney at your side. Nagel Rice attorneys have worked extensively on cases involving anesthesia errors and therefore have well-honed skills both in aggressive litigation. We are committed to getting you the largest possible settlement for your expenses and your suffering.

Types of Compensation You Can Receive For Anesthesia Errors

When we win your case, you will receive compensatory damages for:

  • Medical expenses
  • Rehabilitation and nursing care
  • Disability or disfigurement
  • Loss of income, past and future
  • Physical pain and emotional anguish
  • Loss of consortium
  • Wrongful death

If a particularly egregious anesthesia error was committed, for example, if your anesthesiologist was impaired by drugs while treating you, it is possible that we can also obtain punitive damages for you. Punitive damages are designed to punish the doctor and discourage all others from engaging in similarly horrendous misconduct.

Injuries Caused By Anesthesia Errors

Depending on the nature of the anesthesia error, and the type of surgery involved, one or another of the following injuries may occur:

  • Tracheal damage
  • Lack of adequate oxygen supply (asphyxia)
  • Heart attack or stroke
  • Birth defects
  • Loss of bodily function
  • Brain damage, including traumatic brain injury (TBI)
  • Spinal cord injury, which may lead to paralysis
  • Coma
  • Death

In spite of the protective measures taken to ensure that patients who are under anesthesia will be safe, mistakes do occur. If you or your family is impacted by such a mistake, get in touch with our superior medical malpractice attorneys promptly. We will treat you with compassion and fight aggressively to see to it that you obtain the compensation you are entitled to.

Reasons Anesthesia Mistakes Occur

Medical personnel, like the rest of us, make mistakes. Like other humans, they get pressured, fatigued, and have difficult relationships. They are also subject to forgetfulness, and sometimes misremember significant facts about a patient’s history. Add to this the fact that anesthesia is, in in some emergency situations, administered by a technician who has been ineffectively trained or is inexperienced, and you may have a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, it is also relatively common for doctors to glance at notes, missing significant facts, like a patient’s allergy to a particular medication. Though almost 100 percent of the time, medication misadministration is unintentional, when a patient is harmed someone must be held accountable.

Contact Our New Jersey Anesthesia Errors Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today!

At Nagel Rice, our attorneys pride ourselves on being responsive and compassionate. We understand that you and your family have suffered terrible trauma and we want to lift the burden of dealing with insurance companies and opposing lawyers from your shoulders. While we can’t remove the physical and emotional consequences of the anesthesia error, we can see to it that you receive every dollar of compensation you deserve. Nagel Rice serves clients in Essex, Morris, Bergen, Hudson, Union, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Passaic Counties. We can be reached by phone of by filling out a contact form on our website.

To speak with an experienced attorney handling anesthesia errors in New Jersey, call 973-618-0400 or send us an email.

Nagel Rice LLP helps their clients with their anesthesia error claims throughout New Jersey including Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Passaic County, and Sussex County.