Anesthesia enables physicians to perform invasive medical procedures while the patient is unconscious and unable to feel pain. Although anesthesia allows life-saving medical care that would otherwise be unthinkable, anesthesia treatments are also among the most powerful and complex medications available, altering the brain’s electrical activity in ways that impact vital functions. Anesthesia errors can be extremely harmful or even deadly.
If you or a close family member suffered an injury caused by an anesthesia error, contact our Chicago medical malpractice lawyer from Smith LaCien LLP to learn about your rights.
Smith LaCien LLP has decades of experience in Illinois’ injury law, insurance system, and civil courts, with a history of success in recovering over $3.5 billion for clients. With Smith LaCien, your case has the following advantages:
We work at no upfront cost to you. After a free consultation, we use a contingency-based payment system, so you pay nothing until after we’ve recovered compensation for you through a settlement or court award.
Anesthesiologists are doctors who specialize in using medications, either to numb sensation in a portion of the patient’s body during a minor procedure or to place patients into a deep sleep for surgical procedures that would otherwise cause excruciating pain and deadly shock.
Not only do anesthesiologists have a legal obligation to meet stringent educational and training requirements, but they must also take a complete patient and family history, correctly calculate dosage, and ensure the proper delivery method. An anesthesiologist must inform their patient of all risks, benefits, and alternatives, and obtain informed consent before administering anesthesia.
In addition, the anesthesiologist must carefully monitor the patient’s breathing and blood pressure for changes in medical status throughout the procedure. In some cases, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), who is highly trained to administer some forms of anesthesia, treats a patient.
An anesthesia error occurs when an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist makes an error or oversight throughout any of the above processes.
Sustained an injury due to anesthesia errors?
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When an anesthesiologist’s negligence causes injury to a patient, the results can be mild and temporary, or the impacts may be severe, including permanent brain injury or death. Common types of anesthesia errors in Chicago medical malpractice claims include the following:
Severe anesthesia error injuries cannot be erased through a legal process, but a successful medical malpractice claim against the negligent provider or facility brings the patient or their surviving family member compensation and a sense of justice for their losses.
Proving medical malpractice requires the injury victim to produce evidence demonstrating the following:
Damages in anesthesia error cases range from an additional medical bill to lifelong disability or wrongful death costs to a grieving family.
Medical malpractice claims require compelling evidence, meticulous attention to filing details, and access to medical experts. Compensation typically comes to the victim through the medical provider’s malpractice insurance. Unfortunately, insurance companies often dispute, devalue, or deny claims. With Smith LaCien LLP on your side, we will do the following:
We prepare every case as though for court, while always striving for a low-conflict solution through a settlement for the maximum compensation available to you.
While a successful claim doesn’t erase the injury or harm caused by an anesthesia error, it does achieve a sense of justice through financial accountability. Common damages recovered in claims include the following:
If an anesthesia error caused the death of a loved one, the decedent’s personal representative can recover wrongful death damages for the family.
The statute of limitations for medical malpractice in Illinois is two years from the date of injury or death, or from the date the injured party discovered the malpractice. A Chicago anesthesia error attorney can tell you more about how the state’s statute of limitations affects the timing of your case.
If you and your family have suffered the pain and trauma of an anesthesia error caused by a medical provider’s malpractice, you deserve experienced legal representation throughout the process of your claim. Call or contact us at Smith LaCien LLP to talk to an anesthesia injury lawyer in Chicago who can help you recover the compensation you deserve.