Administrating anesthesia is a fine art. Those trained in this field are highly skilled in using and monitoring its effects. Even with all this skill there are times when things go awry. With all the latest episodes of anesthesia malpractice lawsuits it is a good indication that this area of medicine is just as susceptible to lawsuits as other more traditional areas of medical malpractice.
Adequate patient knowledge prior to putting them under for surgery is the responsibility of the anesthesiologist. This requires that they not only evaluate them, but also confirm pre-operation information and keep a precise record of the goals for the operation. These records must contain all pertinent information about every member of the surgical team and must also include the fact that the patient was assessed for tolerance to certain anesthesia.
During surgery while the patient is under, the anesthesiologist is responsible for the correct placement of IV lines, keeping track of the ECG, oxygen levels and the automatic blood pressure cuff. In addition they also take the lead role in the proper tube placement for patient airways and the handling and administration of the anesthesia, medicines and oxygen. Every task the anesthesiologist performs becomes a part of his or her records. These records may be examined as part of a trial.
If you stop to take a look at the part the anesthesiologist has in operations, it’s not too hard to imagine something going wrong before, during or after the surgery. Things can and do happen. Anytime an anesthesiologist performs their crucial role of an operation, their intentions are to do the best job they know how to do. It is not their intentions to botch things up. However, if an error in judgment occurs, or anything else goes wrong, the patient is the one who suffers the cost of negligence.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard injury law blog as a pro bono service to consumers. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY, who handle car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more.
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Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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