While most surgical procedures are completed successfully, patient death during surgery is not unheard of. There is always a small chance that a patient will not survive a surgical procedure. Problems with anesthesia, the medication used to “put a patient under,” is one reason that some patients die on the operating table. It is estimated that about 1-4 of every 10,000 surgeries involving anesthesia results in the patient’s death. Sometimes, an anesthesia-related death is unavoidable. Other times, the patient’s death is caused by the negligent actions of an anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, or other medical professional.

Types of Anesthesia Errors That Could Lead to a Patient’s Death

If your loved one passed away during a surgical procedure, you are probably desperate for answers. You may be unsure if your loved one’s death was caused by a medical mistake. Anesthesia errors that may result in patient injury or death include:

• Inaccurate dosage of anesthesia medication
• Mistakes made during patient intubation
• Administration of the wrong type of anesthesia medication
• Administration of a medication that the patient is allergic to
• Failure to recognize adverse drug interactions
• Insufficient monitoring of the patient during the surgical procedure
• Use of defective medication or defective medical equipment
• Poor equipment maintenance
• Use of improper anesthesia or surgical techniques

A Medical Malpractice Attorney Can Investigate the Cause of Your Loved One’s Death

Since a patient’s family is not in the operating room during a surgical procedure, it can be nearly impossible to know what happened during your loved one’s surgery. A medical malpractice lawyer with experience handling cases involving anesthesiologist errors may be able to determine if negligent medical care led to your loved one’s death. Medical malpractice lawyers typically work with medical experts and other specialists to understand if an anesthesiologist’s actions failed to meet the accepted medical standard of care.

Ideally, a professional in any industry should do his or her job to the best of his or her ability. When someone is a doctor, surgeon, anesthesiologist, or other medical professional, job performance is a matter of life and death. Even a seemingly simple mistake or oversight can lead to disastrous consequences in the medical field. Some medical mistakes are so grievous that they are called “never events” because they should never happen. If you or a loved one were harmed in a never event, it is important to learn about your legal options. You may be entitled to financial compensation through a medical malpractice claim.

Examples of Never Events

Medical professionals are human, and like all humans, they can make mistakes. However, when a medical professional makes a serious, avoidable medical mistake, the professional or the facility may be liable for damages. Often, medical malpractice cases involve ambiguous situations in which a medical worker’s actions are questionable but not immediately, obviously negligent. It is only after a detailed investigation that the medical professional’s negligence becomes apparent. A never event is typically much more blatant. Some examples of never events include:

• Performing surgery on the wrong body part
• Performing surgery on the wrong patient
• Leaving a foreign object such as a surgical tool inside the patient’s body
• Using contaminated drugs or devices
• Administering the wrong medication or an inaccurate dose of medication
• Inseminating the wrong egg or using the wrong donor sperm during artificial insemination
• Allowing a patient’s bed sore to reach a stage 3 or above in severity
• Physical abuse or sexual assault of a patient

Legal Rights After Being the Victim of a Never Event

Although serious, avoidable medical mistakes should never be made, studies show that these events are more common than one may assume. One study found that over 4,000 never events occur each year in the United States. If you were injured because of a medical mistake or your loved one died because of medical negligence, you may have the right to bring a civil claim against the liable party. You may be entitled to financial compensation for medical bills, lost income due to missed work, funeral and burial expenses, disability, disfigurement, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, and other damages.

Medical malpractice or negligence occurs when a medical professional makes an error that negatively impacts the patient. This can happen in all fields of medicine, and these types of mistakes can be extremely dangerous for the affected patient. According to a report from MDLinx, approximately 50 percent of physicians aged 55 or older have been sued at least once in their careers. This number is fairly staggering and can leave patients wondering, “Is my doctor making a mistake?”

What Are the Top Reasons for Lawsuits?

There are certain areas of medical malpractice that are more common than others. While these mistakes are typically a product of human error, the severity of the results can leave patients with life-altering injuries. Some common types of medical negligence include: