Medical Malpractice Law Dealing with Anesthetic Toxicity
Although anesthesia is crucial for surgical success, an overdose of anesthesia can lead to life-threatening conditions for a patient. The anesthetists are usually expected to be knowledgeable about the various types of anesthesia, the required dosage, and the rates of injection-for the anesthesia to work accurately during surgery.
Improving the safety of medication administration
While medication is meant to help people with pain, injuries and illnesses, it is also causing adverse affects to patients in New York and around the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 700,000 people around the country make medication-related emergency hospital visits each year. For these reasons, it is important that medical personnel are familiar with the federal regulations regarding the administration of medication, as outlined by the CDC.
Asking pharmacists about medication
Individuals in New York should ask their pharmacists some questions about their prescriptions to ensure that they take the medication accurately. This should be done whether it is a new medication or one the individual has been taking for a long time. Individuals should know the name of their medication and what they are taking it for so that they can identify it as needed for refills or in case of an incident like an emergency room visit.
Lawsuit claims that labelling error caused unwanted pregnancies
Many women in New York rely on contraceptive pills to prevent unwanted pregnancies, but a strict schedule must be followed if the drugs are to be effective. The Alabama-based pharmaceutical company Qualitest recalled several of its birth control pills in 2012 after discovering that they had been labelled incorrectly, and the company is now facing litigation from 111 women who claim that the error led to unwanted pregnancies. The company is also being sued by two women who did not become pregnant.
Surgery-related medication errors are common
Patients who deal with serious allergies may be familiar with precautions taken in New York hospitals during surgical procedures. However, the surgical environment can be intense, demanding quick decisions in response to serious situations. The potential for human error exists, and a recent study indicates that medication errors are actually quite common in this setting. The study noted that nearly half of the operations included involve at least one medication mistake.
Hospital medication errors continue to increase
As advances in technology have changed the way that people communicate and process information, so have they improved most health care procedures and treatments. Despite this, hospital patients in New York and across the country continue to suffer from medication errors at an increasing rate.
Pharmacist workload may lead to medication errors
As New York residents may know, pharmacists fill many prescriptions daily as well as performing other duties such as talking to individuals to instruct them on their medications. A recent study shows that pharmacists who fill too many prescriptions in a day have a greater risk of making mistakes. Pharmacists from two Texas hospitals authored the study that appeared in a pharmacy magazine, and included medication orders for over 1.9 million patients that were filled by 50 pharmacists. The study was over a period of one year and showed 92 prescription errors during the time the orders were verified. Out of every 100,000 verified orders, slightly less than five errors were found.
The Wrong Medication as the Basis of a Medical Malpractice Case
When a patient is given the wrong medication, he can suffer considerably and even die. Such a person who has suffered significantly due to the wrong medication prescribed or given to them can file a medical malpractice lawsuit and claim compensation for this error and the ramifications stemming from it.
Experiencing a Damaged Nerve by a Surgeon
Every surgical procedure is associated with its own set of risks, more so when anesthesia is used. Nerve damage caused by a surgical miscalculation is one of the biggest risks. A surgery that is negligently performed can sometimes result in nerve damage, both temporary and permanent. This could eventually lead to a medical malpractice lawsuit. People who suffer from nerve injury can exhibit a variety of symptoms such as:
What are the Different Types of Medical Malpractice Claims?
There are many different reasons that medical malpractice takes place. Most of them constitute negligence on the part of the physician and involve the following: