$1 Million Settlement for Wrongful Death Following Anesthesia Error

A man undergoing cervical spine surgery died following the surgery, not from the surgery itself, but as a result of an error committed by the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthestist providing care at the completion of the surgery.

After being induced with general anesthesia, and undergoing an unremarkable cervical disc repair, the CRNA responsible for the patient’s emergence from anesthesia failed to provide adequate “anti-reversal agents” such that the man’s breathing muscles, initially paralyzed by the general anesthesia agents, were not functioning at a normal capacity. As a result, he could not oxygenate himself after being extubated, and, en route to the PACU, experienced respiratory arrest. A Code was called in the PACU, but despite rescuitative efforts, the patient suffered an anoxic injury to the brain, resulting in his death a short time later.

Blume Donnelly partner Michael Zerres represented the surviving members of the victim’s family, a wife and daughter, and obtained a $1,000,000 settlement against the CRNA responsible for the error.