What Factors Can Lead to an Anesthesia-related Death?
Quick answer: Death from anesthesia is rare. The largest study of U.S. death records, published in the journal Anesthesiology in 2009, counted about 8 anesthesia-related deaths for every million hospital surgical stays between 1999 and 2005. That is roughly 1 in 122,000. The risk climbs with age and with serious health problems. And nearly half of the deaths in that study were coded as an overdose of anesthetic drugs.
Many South Carolinians worry about the side effects of anesthesia when they need surgery — and understandably so. While experts say the risks of anesthesia are generally low, research puts the anesthesia death rate at about eight deaths for every million hospital surgeries.
Anesthesiologists must monitor their patients carefully during a procedure to ensure their vital signs, breathing, and medication levels remain stable. Errors at any point in the process could have fatal consequences. If someone you love died due to an anesthesia error, you should consult a South Carolina medical malpractice lawyer at Wilson Law Group, LLC for a free consultation.
Anesthesia Accidents: How Common are They?
A landmark study by the Institute of Medicine in 1999 suggested that as many as 98,000 people die yearly from medical mistakes. At least 7,000 of those fatalities were due to medication errors. Various studies since then have sought to identify how common errors are in anesthesia practice. One summary analysis of three studies found around one in 211 medication errors occurred in anesthesia. which increases anesthesia death rate.
Anesthesia Types
The type and amount of anesthesia a patient receives depends upon the medical procedure they need.
- General – Puts the patient in a state of unconsciousness, so their brains do not respond to pain
- Local – Numbs a small area where the procedure is performed
- Regional – Used for operations on a large portion of the body
- Sedation – Make patients drowsy or relaxed and can be administered at varying levels
What Is the Death Rate by Type of Anesthesia?
Here’s the honest answer. The big national studies don’t publish a clean, separate death rate for each type. What they do show is a pattern.
General anesthesia carries the most risk. You are fully unconscious. The anesthesia team is breathing for you, or close to it, and watching your heart and oxygen the whole time. More can go wrong, so more has to go right.
Local anesthesia sits at the other end. It numbs one small spot. You stay awake. Serious problems are uncommon.
Regional anesthesia, like a spinal, an epidural or a nerve block, falls in between. Is it safer than general? Sometimes. Some studies of older hip-fracture patients found fewer deaths within 30 days with regional anesthesia. Others found no real difference.
So what matters most? Often, it’s who is on the table. In the 2009 national study, the highest death rates were in people 85 and older. Heart disease, lung disease and emergency surgery all raise the risk too. That’s why the review before surgery matters so much.
What Causes Death From Anesthesia
General anesthesia carries the most risks to patients. Anesthesiologists must carefully review the patient’s medical history ahead of time to identify the best drugs to administer. During the procedure, they must administer the correct medications, watch the patient’s vital signs, and immediately address any side effects or complications.
Common fatal anesthesia errors that could lead to death include:
- Wrong dosage
- Wrong drug or “syringe swapping”
- Delayed delivery of medication
- Inadequate monitoring
- Failure to recognize and respond to emergencies
- Incorrect intubation
- Faulty equipment
- Lack of communication between the medical team
- Ineffective post-operative management
Potential Anesthesia Complications
Wrongfully administered anesthesia can cause a wide range of potentially fatal complications, including:
- Asphyxia
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Trachea injury
- Pulmonary trauma
- Aspiration
- Respiratory problems
- Infection
How Do Anesthesia Providers Reduce the Risk?
Anesthesia is far safer than it used to be. A French national survey found anesthesia-related deaths fell about tenfold over 20 years. Better monitoring did a lot of that work.
It starts before surgery. The team should review your health history, your medications, any past reactions to anesthesia and problems like sleep apnea. That review is how they pick the right drugs and the right dose.
During surgery, your oxygen level, your breathing, your heart rhythm and your blood pressure should be watched the entire time. Alarms are there to catch trouble early. Many hospitals also use checklists so the whole team agrees on the plan before anyone starts.
After surgery, the watching continues in recovery. Some of the dangerous problems show up there, not in the operating room.
What can you do? Tell the team everything. Every medicine, every supplement, every bad reaction you or a family member ever had. Follow the instructions about eating and drinking before surgery. And ask questions.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your own doctor about your risks before any procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions About Anesthesia Deaths
Can anesthesia kill you?
Yes, but it is rare. Most people go under and wake up without a serious problem. When a death does happen, it is often tied to a mistake with the dose, the drug, the monitoring or the response to an emergency.
How often do people die from anesthesia?
The largest U.S. study of death records found about 8 anesthesia-related deaths for every million hospital surgical stays. That is roughly 1 in 122,000.
What are the chances of dying under anesthesia?
For most healthy adults, very small. The chances go up with age, serious heart or lung disease and emergency surgery. Your anesthesia provider is the one who can speak to your own risk.
Who is most at risk?
In the national data, people 85 and older had the highest death rates. Men had higher rates than women. People with serious health problems carry more risk at any age.
Is every death under anesthesia malpractice?
No. Sometimes a patient is very sick and the team does everything right. Malpractice means a provider fell below the standard of care, the level of care a careful provider would give, and that failure caused the harm. Sorting one from the other takes the medical records and an expert’s review.
Related reading: some injuries don’t announce themselves right away. See black floaters in vision after a crash.
What to Do if Someone You Love Died From Wrongly Administered Anesthesia
You may be able to file a medical malpractice lawsuit if you lost a loved one from an adverse anesthesia event in South Carolina. An experienced attorney from Wilson Law Group, LLC can review your case and discuss your legal options for free.
Medical malpractice claims are complicated and require substantial proof that the healthcare worker acted negligently. Getting a lawyer involved in your case immediately is essential. In South Carolina, you have three years from the date of the procedure that caused the injury or three years from when the error was discovered (or should reasonably have been discovered) to file a claim.
Get Help from a South Carolina Medical Malpractice Attorney Today
We trust medical providers to keep us safe. When that trust is broken by a preventable error, the compassionate medical malpractice attorneys at Wilson Law Group, LLC can help you demand justice and compensation.
If you suspect that a loved one’s death may have been caused by anesthesia malpractice, it’s crucial to seek legal counsel. The attorneys at Wilson Law Group, LLC are experienced in handling complex medical malpractice cases and can help you investigate the circumstances surrounding the death and determine if negligence was a factor. Contact us today for a consultation.
