Anaesthetic
Advice
Anaesthetics are administered to patients undergoing procedures and surgical operations to ‘numb the sensations in certain areas of the body or to induce sleep’. Some procedures require the use of anaesthesia to reduce and prevent pain. Errors made by anaesthetists during surgery can dramatically impact an individual’s life emotionally and physically. Although rare, mistakes happen which can have catastrophic effects such as brain and organ damage, as well as nerve injury.
Common causes of anaesthetic negligence include:
- Anaesthetic awareness is where the patient is awake during a procedure but is in a state of paralysis and unable to speak. This can lead to psychological trauma such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
- Failure to monitor effects, monitoring how the patient reacts to the anaesthetic must be monitored. Failure to notice any signs of distress may lead to serious and fatal consequences.
Improper preparation and incorrect dosage
Correct preparation procedures must be followed, informed consent obtained, and medical records reviewed. Administering the incorrect dose can cause brain and organ damage, or even death.
How we can help
Our legal team would appoint a consultant anaesthetist to assist them in creating a claim. Please note we make no commission from these referrals but do need clients to open a case so that we can appoint them to assist. These consultant anaesthetists are privately contracted by us (and therefore their cost would be classed as a disbursement). The ultimate aim would be to get the trust to admit liability and confirm that your current condition has been left damaged in some way, admit the error and agree to a series of interim payments followed by a final settlement. The medical consultants will assess the entire situation. To address the claim element for mental trauma then we would suggest an additional report from our psychological team.
The claim will consider two types of damages:
- General damages- this compensates the victim for the pain and suffering endured, and for the loss of enjoyment of life as a result of the negligent act.
- Special damages- this compensates the victim for any personal costs incurred as a result of the negligent act. It can also cover any additional costs required in the future. This includes:
- Costs of medication and treatment;
- Loss of income and earnings; and the
- Cost of additional medical apparatus.
To gain our assistance you need to open a case, this is done by taking advantage of our free consultation service, activated by the link at the top of the page, should you wish to start a case the caseworker will send you the suitable payment link. Please note your caseworker can only give generic advice, their role is to prepare your details for handling by our legal team and medical consultant and to act as your point of contact, they will also issue you with your Password and PIN, these will be needed to log onto your client dashboard. From your dashboard you will be able to manage and view every aspect of your case, upload documents, images, files etc.