Anesthetists and anesthesiologists are responsible for administering anesthesia to the patients and for the safety of the patients before, during, and after surgical procedures. An anesthetist is a nurse who is board certified in anesthesia and may work under the supervision of a physician, whereas an anesthesiologist is a physician who completes an accredited residency program in anesthesiology.
Anesthesiologists are one of the most important medical professionals involved with a surgical operation. Not only do they provide pain relief for a patient during surgery, they also monitor the patient to make sure they wake up properly after the surgery. Anesthesiologists have control over the patient's critical life functions during surgery, including the patient's breathing and heart rate. Therefore, a patient under anesthesia is vulnerable to severe injuries or even death if medical negligence occurs. This requires very careful monitoring by the anesthetist or anesthesiologist before, during, and after the surgery to make sure the patient doesn't have a dangerous reaction to the drug or the surgery. Because of the dangers of administering anesthesia, anesthetists and anesthesiologists receive extensive medical training in their field.
Often, anesthesia errors can be quickly corrected during a surgery; however, sometimes the errors may result in severe and permanent brain injuries, a coma, even death. Patients considering surgery often meet with their doctors and surgeons to discuss the surgery and any complications; however, they rarely ever meet with their anesthetists. Most people think anesthesia is used in hospitals for major surgeries, but they often forget that anesthesia is also used for elective surgeries in medical clinics, cosmetic clinics, and the dentist office. Someone electing for a simple plastic surgery operation, is vulnerable to an anesthesia error, just like the patient going in for a major surgery. In fact medical clinics, cosmetic clinics, and dentist offices are often more dangerous than hospitals because if a patient runs into a serious emergency in one of these facilities, the medical facilities likely do not have quick access to a specialized nursing staff or doctors to handle the emergency. While the medical facility scrambles to contact professional help, such as calling an ambulance, the patient will be losing precious minutes that may result in a critical brain injury or death.
Most people think once an operation is completed and the operation was successful, the danger is over. This is an incorrect assumption. Many patients have been critically injured post-surgery, after a successful operation, due to anesthesia negligence.
If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury from an anesthesia error, you may have a case for medical negligence or medical malpractice. Contact Dr. Bruce Fagel for a free consultation. Dr. Fagel is a leading medical malpractice attorney and a licensed physician. In addition to 30 years practicing law, Dr. Fagel worked for over 10 years as an emergency room physician, so he understands medical negligence, including anesthesia errors.
