Anesthesiologists provide the essential services of administering anesthesia before and during medical procedures, monitoring and maintaining a patient’s vital signs while they are anesthetized, and offering palliative care. Anesthesiology is a challenging field, and doctors undergo years of education and training before they become certified anesthesiologists. Regardless, oversights and errors often occur in the practice of anesthesiology, causing patients to suffer grave harm. If you or a loved one sustained losses because of negligently administered anesthesia, you may be able to pursue damages via a medical malpractice claim, and you should confer with an attorney as soon as possible. The dedicated Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers of Arfaa Law Group have ample experience navigating the intricacies of anesthesiologist malpractice claims, and if you hire us, we will advocate aggressively on your behalf.
Harm Caused by Anesthesiologist MalpracticeAnesthesiologists generally administer patients anesthesia before they undergo surgery and monitor their vital signs during the procedure to ensure that they are within a normal range. If a doctor fails to administer a sufficient amount of anesthesia, the patient may be conscious during the surgery, which can cause psychological harm and significant physical pain. Conversely, if a doctor gives a patient too much anesthesia, it can cause respiratory failure, cardiac arrest, and brain damage. The failure to properly monitor a patient’s breathing or heart rate or appropriately administer fluids or medications during a procedure can lead to significant injuries as well. Anesthesiologists often have a duty to monitor other people on the anesthesia team, like nurse anesthetists, and if they fail to do so, they may not notice errors that cause a patient to suffer harm.
Damages Recoverable for Anesthesiologist MalpracticeAnesthesiologist malpractice often causes permanent and devastating injuries that require costly medical care. As such, people harmed by the errors of an anesthesiologist will often try to mitigate their economic and noneconomic losses by pursuing damages via medical malpractice claims. Generally, a plaintiff in a medical malpractice lawsuit will set forth a negligence claim against the defendant.
Pursuant to Maryland law, to establish medical negligence, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant owed them a duty. The duty a doctor owes a patient is to offer care that meets the applicable standard, which is the care that a competent professional working in the same specialty would offer under the same circumstances. The plaintiff then has to prove that the defendant breached the standard of care. In the majority of cases, the plaintiff will need to offer testimony from an expert to explain the standard of care to the judge or jury and the manner in which the defendant deviated from the standard.
After establishing the duty owed by the defendant and a breach of that duty, the plaintiff then must show that the breach proximately caused the plaintiff to suffer quantifiable harm. In other words, they must offer evidence in the form of expert testimony that demonstrates that, but for the defendant’s breach, they would not have been injured. A plaintiff that proves a defendant committed malpractice may be able to recover compensation for their financial harm, which may include the cost of any medical care they needed due to their injuries or will need in the future, out-of-pocket costs, and if they could not work due to their harm, lost wages. They may also be granted damages for the intangible losses they suffered due to the defendant’s negligence, such as their suffering, mental anguish, and pain.
Speak with an Experienced Baltimore AttorneyAnesthesiologists provide patients with necessary pain relief and care during and after surgical procedures, but if they do not perform their duties properly, they can cause significant and lasting injuries. If you were hurt by the carelessness of an anesthesiologist, you may be owed compensation, and you should speak to an attorney. The experienced Baltimore lawyers of Arfaa Law Group can assess the facts of your case and gather any evidence that will support you in your pursuit of damages. We regularly represent parties harmed by medical malpractice in lawsuits in Baltimore, where our office is located. You can contact us via our form online or by calling us at (410) 889-1850 to set up a confidential conference.