Different forms of anesthesia are used for surgical procedures. From general - where a patient is intubated and “put to sleep”, to sedation with the use of intravenous narcotic medications, to spinal anesthesia where pain killing or “numbing” medication is injected at a certain level of the spine to permit the performance of procedures below that spinal level, and, topical anesthetics which numb the skin and other surrounding soft tissues.

The use of any anesthesia carries with it certain risks. Those risks should be minimized by proper and adequate care and treatment by all operative and postoperative staff and physicians. Anesthesiologists, anesthetists, nurses, and, operative and post anesthesia care unit staff, must be particularly aware of a patient’s condition during an operation, and, even afterward by properly/timely monitoring the patient. Patient’s also need to be positioned properly on operating room tables to minimize the chance of nerve and soft tissue injuries, and potential oxygen supply compromise which can cause brain damage.

The failure to meet the standards of anesthesiological care and treatment may constitute medical negligence, and, can result in serious injury to, or even death of a patient.

Blume Goldfaden attorneys and medical staff have the knowledge and experience to review medical records to determine if anesthesiological care was substandard; and if so, if such care caused a significant injury or death.