Prolonged paralysis from anesthesia is almost always preventable, but still presents a real danger to patients. The emotional and physical consequences often require extensive treatment and support, which can even become a lifelong need.
Symptoms
- Inability to move after waking
- Trouble breathing without assistance
- Feeling awake but unable to respond (terrifying for patients)
- Weakness lasting hours or days
How does prolonged paralysis from anesthesia happen?
Medical providers use certain medications to keep muscles relaxed and prevent movement during surgery. When the medicines aren’t reversed properly, or the patient is given too much medication, it can cause prolonged paralysis.
Symptoms typically appear after surgery, when the patient should be waking and beginning to move. However, in these cases, the patient remains unable to breathe, speak, or move without help.
Inadequate monitoring can cause providers to miss signs that the patient is still paralyzed. Equipment failures, documentation errors, and failure to recognize drug interactions or patient-specific factors may also cause prolonged paralysis.
Serious injuries caused by prolonged paralysis
Although the paralysis may not last forever, the results might. Patients who can’t breathe independently may suffer respiratory arrest or aspiration. Both of those conditions can be fatal and often cause serious lifelong injuries.
If breathing is not restored quickly, oxygen deprivation may occur, which can cause permanent brain damage.
When a patient wakes up but can’t move, it may lead to extreme psychological trauma, including PTSD, anxiety disorders, and long-term sleep problems. Other injuries include long-lasting muscle weakness, nerve injury, or difficulty swallowing.
Prolonged paralysis is preventable when medical providers follow industry guidelines and monitor the patient properly. When that doesn’t happen, patients need to speak with a lawyer in order to understand better what happened to them and how.
Weisser Law is here to navigate this difficult process with compassion, care, and the attention you and your family deserve from the start.