Anaesthesia and ICU (Intensive Care Unit)

Anaesthesia errors occur frequently during surgery, but most are recognised and corrected during the procedure, so that patients rarely, if ever, learn about them.

Medical negligence may occur from...

  • An incorrect anaesthetic or dosage
  • Failure to monitor vital signs during surgery or in the ICU
  • Failure to site an epidural or spinal anaesthetic accurately

It is only after a patient dies, or if some serious problem is identified following surgery that a patient or family may learn about some problem with the anaesthesia.

Many patients will successfully survive surgery only to develop serious problems in the post anaesthesia recovery room, where the surgeon usually defers to the anaesthetists for all evaluation and management decisions. Complications from general anaesthesia are fortunately rare nowadays, but if and when they do occur, they can be catastrophic. Anaesthetists are also often involved with the management of patients on intensive care units and with running outpatient pain clinics.

Compensation may be recovered if negligence can be proved. However, it is important to always bear in mind that patients are on an intensive care ward because they are usually critically ill, and, because of the severity of the underlying problems, the outcome may have been the same irrespective of whether the care had been adequate or not. For this reason these cases may not be straightforward.

We will...

  • Call on our extensive network of medical experts and other resources to help you win your case and receive the highest level of compensation for your injuries
  • Offer advice on appropriate support groups which may be able to help you, as your case progresses, such as counseling organizations, bereavement support and other voluntary bodies
  • Continue to assist you, after your claim has been settled, to help you make the most of any compensation you may have received

For further information on how MyInjuryLawyer can help with an anaesthesia related claim, please call us free on 0800 043 4299.