Keep This In Mind While Facing Surgical Options

Administrating anesthesia is a fine art. Those trained in this field are highly skilled in using and monitoring its effects. Even with all this skill there are times when things go awry. With all the latest episodes of anesthesia malpractice lawsuits it is a good indication that this area of medicine is just as susceptible to lawsuits as other more traditional areas of medical malpractice.

Adequate patient knowledge prior to putting them under for surgery is the responsibility of the anesthesiologist. This requires that they not only evaluate them, but also confirm pre-operation information and keep a precise record of the goals for the operation. These records must contain all pertinent information about every member of the surgical team and must also include the fact that the patient was assessed for tolerance to certain anesthesia.

During surgery while the patient is under, the anesthesiologist is responsible for the correct placement of IV lines, keeping track of the ECG, oxygen levels and the automatic blood pressure cuff. In addition they also take the lead role in the proper tube placement for patient airways and the handling and administration of the anesthesia, medicines and oxygen. Every task the anesthesiologist performs becomes a part of his or her records. These records may be examined as part of a trial.

If you stop to take a look at the part the anesthesiologist has in operations, it’s not too hard to imagine something going wrong before, during or after the surgery. Things can and do happen. Anytime an anesthesiologist performs their crucial role of an operation, their intentions are to do the best job they know how to do. It is not their intentions to botch things up. However, if an error in judgment occurs, or anything else goes wrong, the patient is the one who suffers the cost of negligence.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard injury law blog as a pro bono service to consumers. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY, who handle car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more.

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