Although the risks associated with surgery or medical treatment have reduced considerably, human error can still have a catastrophic impact on a patient. If your anaesthetist was negligent and you experienced harm, you could be entitled to make a compensation claim.
Mistakes made by an anaesthetist could include:
- Damage to nerves and the spinal cord when administering anaesthetic. This includes the negligent administration of an epidural during childbirth. Nerve damage could result in pain, discomfort and possible paralysis.
- Not providing the correct dose of anaesthetic (i.e. not enough anaesthetic) or failing to monitor signs of consciousness in a patient, leading to ‘anaesthetic awareness’ during an operation or procedure. This can lead to anaesthetic awareness compensation for lifelong and profound consequences on the psychological health of a patient including conditions such as anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Administering too much anaesthesia resulting in potential injury to tissues, impairments to breathing, heart function and potential shock.
- Failing to monitor breathing, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels and brain activity.
- Failing to monitor blood pressure which could potentially lead to a stroke or brain damage.
- Failing to monitor the level of anaesthetic in the blood.
- The use of defective medical devices and defective and / or contaminated equipment during anaesthetic administration.
- Intubation errors
- Ventilation delays and errors, or a ventilator was switched off for a period of time.
- Administering the wrong anaesthesia drug
- Failure to prevent anaesthesia interactions, eg. with prescription drugs.
- Failure to manage anaphylactic shock from severe allergic reaction to anaesthetic drugs.
- Failure to treat other patient complications related to anaesthetic.
- Mistakes made in the recovery room- i.e.extubation/reviving errors, when the breathing tube has been removed too soon before muscle relaxants have worn off, leaving them unable to breathe.
- Failure to seek informed consent when administering an anaesthetic
- Administering anaesthetics to a patient with allergies, known health conditions (diabetes, cancer, liver disease, high blood pressure, allergies) or risk factors such as age, weight and cardio-pulmonary conditions eg asthma and heart disease.
- The failure to administer the correct dose of anaesthetic during a Caesarean section and childbirth.
Negligent care by an anaesthetist can have serious consequences on a patient’s health and could also result in death.
At Devonshires Claims our experienced ‘No Win No Fee’ medical negligence solicitors can support your decision to make an anaesthetic negligence claim. Our surgical error claims experts have helped clients obtain compensation for their pain and suffering, corrective treatment required, rehabilitation costs and loss of earnings amongst other losses.
Claiming compensation for negligent anaesthetic administration
Mistakes made by an anaesthetist could result in:
- Injuries to the mouth, trachea and teeth
- Asphyxia and oxygen deprivation
- Infection
- Shock
- Nerve damage and damage to the spinal cord, paralysis and loss of function
- Brain damage
- Stroke
- Heart attack (cardiac arrest)
- Organ failure
- Coma
- Death
The effects of these injuries could require:
- Further medical treatment eg. surgery
- Additional expenses for travel, medication
- Specialist equipment and home adaptation
- Long-term physiotherapy and rehabilitation
- Financial support due to the loss of earnings when not working
- Further financial support in the form of a bereavement award, funeral costs and loss of dependency on deceased family member’s income and services (following the patient’s death)
If you believe that your injuries or your loved one’s injuries are the direct result of anaesthetic negligence, you may be entitled to claim compensation.
Devonshires Claims has over 20 years’ experience in obtaining justice and compensation for victims of medical negligence. We have clients throughout the UK and Ireland and have been recognised in Legal Directories such as the Legal 500.
We offer our clients:
- A friendly, compassionate and professional claims service
- A free case evaluation
- No Win No Fee agreement
- Access to a network of medical experts and specialist barristers
- Our expertise in dealing with a variety of medical negligence claims including very complex medical cases
- Our expertise in securing the maximum compensation available
For more information on Devonshires Claims ‘No Win No Fee’ agreements, including anaesthetic negligence claims contact us today on 0333 900 8787, email admin@devonshiresclaims.co.uk or complete our online contact form.
Anaesthetic Negligence FAQs
There are three types of anaesthesia and an anaesthetist will decide which type to use depending on the procedure and condition of the patient.
These include:
General Anaesthetic
This is administered into a patient’s circulatory system through a combination of injected drugs and inhaled gas. GA affects the brain and the central nervous system to render the patient unconscious.
Local Anaesthetic
Local anaesthetic is administered to temporarily reduce or prevent pain during a treatment or procedure in a specific region of the body. The patient remains conscious during the procedure.
Regional Anaesthetic
If a larger area of the body is needed to be numbed or a local anaesthetic injection is unable to be used to penetrate into a site, a regional anaesthetic is administered around the major nerves and spinal cord.
General anaesthetic carries the highest risk of injury or serious consequences to a patient and local anaesthetic carries the lowest risk.
Negligent administration of an anaesthetic and mistakes made by a nurse, GP, anaesthetist could result in damage to nerves, tissues, and heart, brain and lung function.
If you or a loved one experienced anaesthetic negligence, you could be entitled to make a medical negligence compensation claim.
Many people hesitate to start a medical negligence claim because they are worried about fees.
At Devonshires Claims, we believe that victims of medical negligence should not have to worry about legal costs. Therefore, we utilise a Conditional Fee Agreement for most of our medical negligence claims. A Conditional Fee Agreement is commonly known as ‘no win no fee’ agreement and this means that you pay nothing unless you win your case*.
You may also be able to receive public funding from the Legal Aid Agency, which is available for certain types of cases, such as cerebral palsy and others. When you contact us, we’ll work with you to determine the best way to fund your claim based on the details of your case and your financial situation and needs.
As with all medical negligence claims, there is generally a three year limit within which to make a compensation claim.
The three year limit applies from the date of negligence or the date on which you became aware of the negligent medical treatment.
There are a few exceptions to this three year limit. These include:
- Children – there is no time limit which in which to start your anaesthetic injury compensation claim. When the child turns 18 they have until their 21st birthday within which to make a claim in their own right.
- Mental capacity – A child or adult without capacity to run a claim, may not have a time limit within which to bring a claim. We recommend that you contact Devonshires Claims if you have any queries involving those who lack capacity and our specialist solicitors will be able to assist.
Claim compensation for anaesthetic mistakes
Devonshires Claims supports victims of medical negligence obtain justice and compensation. We can help you and your family if you have suffered harm resulting from mistakes made in the administration of your anaesthetic.
Our medical negligence experts are members of:
Some of our testimonials from the Legal 500 include:
‘The team takes on serious clinical negligence claims and gets consistently good results’.
‘They are never afraid to make a tough decision but always treats clients with great humanity’
As well as securing the maximum compensation for your anaesthetic negligence, our claims service offers you:
- A free case evaluation and advice on the potential compensation available
- A designated solicitor who will be with at every stage of your negligence claim and keep you informed through regular contact.
- A no win no fee agreement
- Access to a network of medical experts and specialist barristers
Our claims service consistently delivers great results for our clients. To start your free case evaluation contact our experienced medical negligence lawyers today on 0333 900 8787, email admin@devonshiresclaims.co.uk or complete our online form.
