Anaesthetic Negligence Claims

The last thing you expect when receiving anaesthetic, is for something to go wrong. Generally, anaesthetics are administered safely, but unfortunately sometimes errors can happen. We believe in holding medical professionals accountable for their mistakes, including anaesthetic negligence, and will help anyone seeking an apology or compensation.

What are the common causes of anaesthetic negligence?

Anaesthetic awareness

Whilst rare, this can occur when a patient becomes conscious during an operation and is aware of what is happening to them, but helpless to do anything about it. It can be an extremely distressing and painful experience often resulting in post-traumatic stress.

Brain damage

The brain needs a continuous supply of oxygen to survive. A complication with the general anaesthetic during surgery can result in a lack of oxygen to the brain or a cardiac arrest that can result in a brain injury.

Nerve injuries and spinal cord injuries

If epidurals, injections or nerve blocks are not administered correctly, nerve injuries can be caused resulting in pain and occasionally a permanent disability or paralysis.

Incorrectly administering anaesthetics can be classed as a Never Event. Click here to find out more about Never Events.

Anaesthetic negligence during childbirth

Taking the option to have anaesthesia for pain relief during childbirth is usually safe for everyone, however on some occasions things can go wrong and mistakes can be made.

Some examples of this may be:

• Failure to administer the correct dosage of anaesthesia;
• Failure to administer anaesthesia correctly resulting in nerve damage;
• Improper administration causing seizures and or cardiac arrest;
• Delay in administering anaesthesia resulting in psychological and physical harm;
• Failure to provide enough anaesthetic during a caesarean section.