Anesthesia awareness medical malpractice lawsuits
Anesthesia awareness is the unthinkable phenomenon of being awake during surgery, yet unable to move, speak or communicate to doctors that pain or other sensations are being felt. It is often cause by an anesthesia mistake which could have been prevented either through proper use of medical care or use of a special monitor.
>>INFORMATION: Anesthesia awareness medical malpractice
Last week the Associated Press reported that a lawsuit was filed after a 73 year old Baptist minister and retired coal miner experienced anesthesia awareness during surgery on his abdomen. As a result of a medical mistake, he was not given general anesthesia until 16 minutes after the first cut. However, he was unable to move or cry out in pain as a result of paralyzing drugs which were given before the surgery to prevent involuntary muscle movement during the proceedure.
Following surgery, the patient reported feeling excruciating pain which left him unable to sleep, afraid of being alone, experiencing nightmares and thinking that people were trying to bury him alive. Approximately two weeks after the surgery he committed suicide by shooting himself.
Many people who experience anesthesia awareness suffer severe post traumatic stress after the surgery, and are often tormented by doubts that the memories are not real. Physicians do not always believe the recollections, and in some cases patients do not even tell their doctors or family what they experienced.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the president of the Anesthesia Awareness Campaign indicated that after experiencing anesthesia awareness, many people pursue lawsuits because they want to be acknowledged, and do not want to be told it did not happen or that it was a dream. Carol Weiher founded the Anesthesia Awareness Campaign after her anesthesia failed during an eye operation in 1998. She received a settlement after filing an anesthesia malpractice lawsuit.
PREVENTING ANESTHESIA AWARENESS
Even though individuals may not be able to directly signal their pain and distress, careful observation and monitoring by the physician should be able to pick up on signs of awareness, such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, dilation of the pupils, sweating and formation of tears. Unfortunately, many anesthesiologists fail to give their full time and attention
Many believe that the risk of anesthesia awareness could be further reduced or even eliminated by careful monitoring and use of a device known as a bispectral index monitor (BIS monitor). The monitor works by placing a plastic sensor on the patients forehead which sends brain waves to a unit which converts them to a number between zero and 100. During general anesthesia, a patient should be kept in the range of 40 to 60.
These monitors were approved by the FDA in 1996, yet they are only used on about 12% of patients who receive general anesthesia and they are not even present in approximately 60% of all operating rooms. Many anesthesiologists do not believe the monitors are necessary since vigilance in monitoring the patient should be sufficient. Victims of anesthesia awareness often disagree.
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE LAWYERS
The medical malpractice lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk investigate potential claims for medical mistakes nationwide. If you, a friend or family member believe you may be the victim of an anesthesia mistake or medical error, request a free malpractice consultation.
[...] Anesthesia awareness is a problem which could occur if the anesthesia is ineffective, improperly delivered or poorly controlled. It describes a state where the patient could be partially or fully awake during surgery, hearing sounds and feeling pain from the procedure. Many who have experienced the anesthesia problems describe it as the worst experience of their life, and psychologists often equate the emotional trauma to that of a rape victim. [...]
I have been a CRNA for 30 yrs. To my knowledge none of my pts. have had anes. awareness! When reporting cases of anes. awareness*abd. pt.*was it an emergency case? was the bowel perforated? was the pt. septic?*all of these and more reasons would establish why the pt. had little anes in the first part of the surgery. Keeping the pt. alive is the first and foremost goal of of very anes. care provider. Did the eye pt. have a block with sedation*pain is from an inadequate block by the surgeon?*More facts should be reported not only the pt. had awareness. Anesthesia care providers DO NOT intentionally make sure that their pt.s do not have adequate anesthesia! For those who have awareness, there is ALWAYS more to the case than what is presented to the public.
Linda,
My mother has went through this and until you have or someone in your family has you need to be compassionate. I see you just follow the party lines of “It can’t be OUR Fault.” WHen you read medical records and see that mistakes are make and they contiue the surgery after someone has been bucking and even listed as crying…then you can talk. Until then you need to have compassion. I am sure glad in my surgeries I have had better CRNA’s than you, who have all told me, the only reason it happens, is because the Anesthiaologist doesn’t perform their job properly.
I had a lipoma in the front of my neck about the size of a plum. I went into surgery 3 days ago to have it removed. I’m not someone who has a story of not being able to communicate the fact that I was awake during the procedure. Once I was in the recovery room I got up to use the bathroom and was quite surprised to see a small cut in between my eyes as well as a small abrasion on my forehead near my hairline. I asked the nearest nurse what had happened to me. She summoned the anesthesiologist nurse that had “taken care of me”. She started off by telling me how stong I am. The cuts I had on my face came from her fingernails when she was trying to keep me from getting off the table. She said my breathing at one point became somewhat shallow and she grabbed my chin to open up my airway. At that moment I woke up and tried to get up and yelled at them to get off me. During that struggle I recieved the cuts to my face. She also told me I had told her to stop talking to me like im a 12 year old. Clearly I wasn’t to pleased to be waking up in a room full of strangers with masks on that were cutting my neck open! I’m thinking someone should be losing their job.
As President of the Anesthesia Awareness Campaign, Inc., http://www.anesthesiaawareness.com, I urge all victims of anesthesia awareness to contact this Campaign in addition to anyone else.
And I would submit that the 30-year CRNA (or anesthesiologist) just doesn’t know who was left awake…….
Carol Weihrer
703-437-7327
I had a total right hip arthoplasty on Monday, July 19, 2010. When I woke up in recovery I felt something was wrong, but I didn’t say anything. Later that day the physicians assistant asked me if I remembered telling her that It hurt, or words to that effect. I am slowly getting flashes of my surgery, and I feel emotionally vulnerable (EXTREMELY). It was obvious to me and is becoming more clear daily that I woke up when the surgeon was operating on me. I am scared to death, and quite apprehensive about what to say or do next.
I was awake during long segments of open heart surgery. The pain I experienced was beyond anything words can describe. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, see a therapist weekly and am taking Zoloft and Welbutrin for depression, Ambien to sleep and Xanax for anxiety, which, at times, is extreme. Last week I had a mole removed from my upper arm. Because I’m on a blood thinner the doctor cauterized my arm to stop the bleeding. The minute I smelled my burning flesh I was back in the operating room, in severe pain, and unable to communicate with anyone. I got hysterical in the dermatologist’s exam room and had to run out, half naked, into the hall to get away from the smell. The pain I experienced during the heart surgery was so horrendous I tried to “kill myself” by not breathing, but then remembered that there was a breathing tube down my throat. In my head I kept screaming “SEE ME! LOOK AT ME!” and no one did. The heart surgeon would never speak to me about this experience. The anesthesialogist did come to my room three days after surgery and tell me everything went well. I couldn’t believe this!!! I did have a psych. eval. while in the hospital but the reports are very nebulous. I have copies of all medical records pertaining to this surgery and chronological anecdotal records of my hourly and daily experiences, both pre and post op.