Many Anesthesia Errors Are Caused by Distraction, Lack of Communication
Miscommunication in the operating room can cause anasthesia errors that harm surgical patients.

August 10, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Many Anesthesia Errors Are Caused by Distraction, Lack of Communication

Medical errors and other adverse events in hospitals claim nearly 180,000 lives every year. This is an astonishing number, and it implicates all types of medical professionals providing care in a hospital setting.

Anesthesiology is one of the fields within medicine that is part of this larger problem. This article will examine some of the ways in which anesthesiologists often fail to deliver proper care to surgical patients, leading to injuries and deaths caused by medical malpractice.

Role of the Anesthesiologist

The anesthesiologist does more than merely apply the drug dosage that puts the patient in a sedated or unconscious state so that surgery can be performed. That is only the first step.

More comprehensively, anesthesiologists are responsible for monitoring the condition of the patient throughout the surgical procedure. This includes paying close attention to oxygen levels and temperature.

The biggest risk, in many ways, is that the patient will become "hypoxic," which means not enough blood flow and oxygen are getting to the brain. This can cause serious brain damage.

As part of his or her role, the anesthesiologist is responsible for handling powerful, potentially harmful drugs. The most notorious of these is propofol, the drug that is thought to have killed the pop singer Michael Jackson. But there are many others as well, and they need to be handled delicately to avoid overdoses and minimize side effects.

Drug shortages can sometimes make the administration of anesthesia even more dangerous. For example, if there is a shortage of the muscle relaxant pentothal, an anesthesiologist might use propofol instead. And, as noted, propofol can be a killer.

Scope of Practice Issues

Some anesthesiologists are seeking to extend their practices out of the operating room to also help patients manage chronic pain.

Anesthesiology is a complex medical specialty. No less than surgeons, anesthesiologists, with the powerful drugs they administer, have patients' lives in their hands. It is questionable, in that respect, whether anesthesia nurse training is sufficient to give anesthesiologists the knowledge need to handle so many dangerous drugs.

To be sure, many anesthesiologists are physicians who have completed certified residency programs in anesthesiology after medical school. But nurse anesthetists do not have this training and many medical facilities rely on nurse anesthetists.

The issue of training also arises outside of the operating, in the context of medical care intended to help people with chronic pain. In some states, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) are seeking approval from regulators to dispense pain management drugs.

Not surprisingly, the president of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Dr. Jerry A. Cohen, has expressed concern about this. He believes training as a medical doctor is needed to practice pain management because of the complexity of the issues involved.

Common Anesthesiology Errors

It is not that difficult to identify common scenarios that tend to lead to anesthesia errors. One problem is an overly casual environment in the operating room. If the anesthesiologist becomes unavailable, such as by leaving the building, or leaving the operating room at critical stages of the surgery, that can impair monitoring the patient's condition.

Another potential issue involves breakdowns in communication between the lead surgeon and the anesthesiologist. Because of the hierarchical nature of operating room protocols, nurse-anesthesiologists are often intimated from speaking up about a potential issue -- even when it threatens patient safety.

Still another problem underlying the practice of anesthesiology is the structure of many health insurance plans. If a health insurance company refuses to pay for a separate anesthesiologist, the absence of someone in that specific role can overstretch the rest of the surgical team and produce unwanted but harmful errors.

Anesthesia Errors in New Jersey

The common anesthesia errors discussed in this article are just as common in New Jersey as anywhere else. If you are someone in your family has been harmed by an anesthesia error, contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer to discuss your legal options. An attorney can analyze and assess the strength of your case and help you pursue compensation for your injuries.

Press Release Contact Information:

Findlaw PR