Medication errors during anesthesia—such as overdosing, underdosing, or giving the wrong drug—are extremely dangerous and highly preventable. Medication safety relies on the medical staff’s communication, standardized protocols, and double-checking procedures.
Symptoms
- Delayed awakening
- Extremely low breathing rate (respiratory depression)
- Severe drop in blood pressure
- Irregular heart rhythm
- Unresponsiveness or coma
- Pinpoint pupils (opioid overdose)
Symptoms depend on the medication, but the injuries often have a long-term impact on the patient. Because symptoms can develop quickly, anesthesia providers must be able to detect and treat them immediately.
How does a patient overdose or receive the wrong medication?
While the mistake might be simple, the results can be deadly. That’s why it’s so important that medical providers and staff are overly careful when administering anesthesia. Syringe swaps, mislabeled medications, incorrect dosing calculations, or failure to review patient weight and medical history can have lifelong consequences.
In some cases, providers may overlook drug interactions or fail to communicate clearly with surgical staff. It’s also possible for equipment failures—such as malfunctioning pumps—to deliver incorrect amounts of medication.
Poor documentation, fatigue, and rushed environments increase the risk of these preventable errors.
Serious injuries that can be caused by overdose or wrong anesthesia
Medication errors often leave patients with devastating injuries that can impact the rest of their lives. In some cases, the errors can kill the patient.
Overdose may cause respiratory arrest, causing a lack of oxygen and possibly leading to brain damage. Cardiac arrest is another frequent result of a patient receiving the wrong drug or too much of the correct drug.
In either case, patients can experience a long period of unconsciousness or fall into a coma. Permanent brain issues, organ failure, and a loss of motor function are among other serious complications.
When the patient receives a drug designed to temporarily paralyze them, the patient can become fully conscious but is unable to move if the drug is given incorrectly. The act is considered a terrifying psychological injury known as “awareness with paralysis.”
Survivors of these injuries often must deal with long-term rehabilitation, emotional trauma, and medical complications that affect every aspect of their lives. Weisser Law is here to fight for you, your future, and your health.
Contact Weisser Law today to schedule your free consultation.