About Anesthesia Errors
St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyers
Were you or someone you love injured as a result of an anesthesia error? Medication errors are a major cause of morbidity and mortality and anesthesia is no exception. Anesthesia and surgery bring a patient into a complex world where a single, small failing can produce catastrophic results.
At Stephens Kelly Law, our St. Louis personal injury attorney have nearly 20 years of combined experience handling an array of medical malpractice cases. With years of experience representing Fortune 500 clients in their multi-million dollar lawsuits, we have the litigation background you need to go up against a prominent physician or hospital.
Errors of Omission & Errors of Commission
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), medication errors are common in healthcare and are the seventh most common cause of death overall. Medication errors are classified as error of omission or error of commission.
Errors of omission are defined as the failure to perform the appropriate actions, whereas errors of commission are defined as the performing of the wrong action.
The NCBI reports that a recent study revealed that human errors are a factor in 65-87% of anesthesia errors. The study found that the following risk factors contributed to preventable anesthesia mistakes:
- Inadequate experience (16%)
- Inadequate familiarity with equipment or device (9.3%)
- Haste, carelessness, or inattention (5.6%)
A variety of other factors in operating rooms give rise to a high incidence of anesthesia errors, including: lack of staff, overtime, odd working hours, poor communication, inattention, carelessness, haste, and fatigue.
Do you have a claim?
Even the smallest anesthesia error can result in permanent injury, brain damage, or death. An anesthesiologist may be held responsible for a patient’s injuries if the following elements can be proven:
- A patient/doctor relationship existed.
- The anesthesiologist was in fact negligent.
- The anesthesiologist’s negligence caused the patient’s injuries.
Zealous Legal Advocacy When You Need it Most
At Stephens Kelly Law, we know that when it comes to anesthesia errors, most errors are attributed to human error, which is an inherent part of human activity, and cannot be eliminated.
If you or someone you love suffered serious injuries as a result of a medication error, we urge you to contact our office for the zealous legal advocacy your situation demands.
Contact our St. Louis personal injury firm to schedule your free case evaluation!