Placing one of your parents or another loved one in a New Mexico nursing home or continuing care facility is difficult, and it can prove especially so if you have concerns about the care your loved one is receiving while there. Many older Americans need medical treatment and procedures that require the use of anesthesia, but administering anesthesia is a careful process that can lead to serious repercussions and even death if not done right. At the Harvey & Foote Law Firm, we recognize the devastating effects of anesthesia errors, and we have helped many families who lost a loved one because of them pursue recourse.
According to Elcam Medical, medical errors, which include anesthesia mistakes, resulting in the deaths of more than 250,000 Americans every year. Many of anesthesia-related deaths result from similar errors and circumstances, so modifying procedures and changing safety protocols in these areas may help lower the number of annual associated deaths.
Medication dosing errors, for example, are common among anesthesia patients at nursing homes and other locations. When a medical professional administers too much or too little anesthesia, it can lead to serious, potentially life-threatening problems. Too much anesthesia can cause highly dangerous and prolonged sedation, while too little anesthesia can cause a patient to come to during treatment.
If your anesthesiologist fails to adequately control the flow of your intravenous fluids, this, too, can cause serious complications, including respiratory issues, high blood pressure and considerable pain. Your loved one may also experience problems related to pain management and related side effects if his or her medical professional struggles to find a way to properly manage pain after an anesthesia treatment. Find more about wrongful death on our web page.
