Surgical procedures are a highly-invasive form of medical care. As such, they come with numerous medical risks. Many of the worst outcomes reported after surgical procedures are the result of anesthesia issues. The medications used to render people unconscious and subdue their sense of pain are incredibly dangerous. Even minor issues with anesthesia can have devastating medical consequences. Some anesthesia issues are unavoidable, but many of them are the result of medical errors.
There are steps that anesthesiologists can take to reduce the chances of a patient having an adverse reaction to anesthesia. The failure to follow best practices might constitute medical malpractice on the part of an anesthesiologist. How can health care professionals prevent anesthesia issues?
Allergy testing
There are certain types of anesthesia that may produce particularly strong physical reactions in patients. Medications may produce allergic reactions or other negative responses in patients. It may be possible in some cases to conduct preliminary skin tests to ensure that patients tolerate certain medications or to at least rule out the possibility of an allergic reaction. Particularly in scenarios involving medically-fragile patients, prior testing could help validate the decision to use a specific anesthetic.
A thorough review of medical records
Many drugs are similar to other medications. An individual allergic to one antibiotic might also react negatively to any other antibiotic in the same family of drugs. It may therefore be possible for medical professionals to review a patient’s history and rule out the use of certain medications based on their prior reactions to other drugs. Reviewing a patient’s family history can also be important, as the reactions that family members have had to anesthesia could be indicative of the patient also struggling to tolerate the medication.
Precision during administration
Many anesthesia errors occurred due to negligent conduct in the operating theater. Anesthesiologists mix up drugs or administer the wrong dose. When they pay close attention to details and treat every decision as the safety-critical matter it actually is, they can avoid scenarios in which they negligently administer inappropriate medications or unsafe doses.
When anesthesiologists and other medical professionals make mistakes regarding medication, patients may suffer serious consequences. Those harmed by anesthesia errors and those grieving someone who died due to anesthesia issues may have grounds for a medical malpractice lawsuit. Reviewing medical records with a skilled legal team can help families determine if a professional deviated from best practices.