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Florida Anesthesia Errors Attorneys

The attorneys at Freedland Harwin Valori, PL are committed to protecting the best interests of Florida’s hospital patients. From small, private clinics to some of Florida’s biggest hospitals, our team believes that all medical providers must answer for causing preventable harm to patients. If you have reason to believe that an anesthesia error harmed you or a loved one, speak to one of our medical malpractice lawyers right away. You could be eligible for significant compensation.

What Are the Duties of an Anesthesiologist?

To prove medical malpractice in the Florida civil courts, the injured party (the plaintiff) must show that the anesthesiologist breached his or her duty of care and that this mistake caused the damages in question. An anesthesiologist has many duties of care according to accepted medical industry standards, throughout all stages of a patient’s surgical procedure. The typical duties an anesthesiologist might have are as follows:

  1. Check a patient’s medical history. Anesthesiology is a complex science that can change according to the patient’s health status and medical history. One of the roles of an anesthesiologist is to make sure the patient is healthy enough to survive the surgery and to clear him or her for the procedure.
  2. Monitor the level and depth of anesthesia. Several different anesthesia medications exist, along with different dosages. The anesthesiologist must carefully administer the ideal anesthesia to the patient according to his/her history, weight, age, type of procedure, and many other factors.
  3. Intubate the patient properly. Intubation refers to the insertion of a tube in the patient’s trachea (while the patient is under sedation) to maintain an open airway during the surgery. Intubation errors can lead to the patient not getting enough oxygen during surgery, resulting in oxygen deficiency and related harms, such as brain damage.
  4. Monitor the patient during surgery. The anesthesiologist will remain in the operating room throughout the surgery, carefully monitoring the patient to make sure vital signs remain normal. The anesthesiologist may have to administer necessary drugs during the procedure to treat or prevent a negative patient event.
  5. Monitor the patient after surgery. Post-operative monitoring from an anesthesiologist is necessary to make sure the patient wakes up from the anesthesia and does not suffer from any post-op issues such as nausea or vomiting.

It’s crucial for an anesthesiologist to obey strict standards of patient care and hospital protocol during a procedure. A negligent, lax, careless, or incompetent medical professional could make an anesthesia error that results in brain damage, coma, a vegetative state, or wrongful death of the patient. If you or a loved one suffered unexpected harms during what should have been a routine procedure, it’s worthwhile to talk to our attorneys. You could have grounds for a medical malpractice claim in Florida.

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