If you have surgery in Illinois, there are a few anesthesia options that are available depending on the type of surgery and how long the procedure could take. General anesthesia is the most common and involves medications that put you to sleep so that you are unaware of what happens, and you don’t feel any pain. However, there are a few risks that are associated with the process.
Communicating
One of the common anesthesia errors that occur could be before you have surgery. If your doctor doesn’t provide the necessary information about the anesthesia that will be used or the available options, then there could be information about medications that you take or other health issues that could interact with the anesthesia provided. There could also be miscommunications in the operating room between the anesthesiologist, surgeon and nurses, which can result in you not receiving the proper amount of anesthesia at the right time or having the medications stopped too soon.
Reactions
When anesthesia is provided, an error can occur if there is a reaction that isn’t noticed. An example could be the fingernails or the lips turning blue due to a lack of oxygen or a rash from the medications that are used. If these reactions aren’t noticed in time to stop for the anesthesia medications to stop being used, then it could result in severe side effects with death being a possibility as well.
Anesthesia comes in many forms and can make surgical procedures tolerable whether you’re mildly sedated or put to sleep. As with other medications, there can be complications with anesthesia as well that could be considered medical negligence.