Anesthesia is safe for the vast majority of people who undergo medical procedures. Yet in rare cases, patients can suffer organ or nerve damage, brain damage, birth defects, paralysis, heart attacks, stroke and, in some instances, death.
The National Institutes of Health compiled statistics showing about 200 anesthesia-related fatalities occur annually in the United States, with those deaths more prevalent among male and elderly patients.
Sometimes the cause is medical malpractice, including problems such as improper intubation, failure to adequately administer oxygen, inattention by medical staff, not recognizing an allergic reaction, failure to monitor a patient, or a dosage error.
If such an injury or death happened to you or a loved one, you might have grounds for a lawsuit. Kline & Specter, PC, with more than 50 attorneys, five of whom are also doctors, has the expertise and experience needed to investigate and litigate potential anesthesia errors.
Among the firm’s doctor/lawyers is Gary Zakeosian, a board-certified anesthesiologist who has represented a number of patients who suffered anesthesia injuries.
In one case, Tom Kline and Dr. Zakeosian obtained a substantial settlement for Adam Covenko, a 24-year-old Philadelphian and former wrestler who died undergoing a routine rhinoplasty. The problem was improper removal of an airway tube, causing Covenko to lose oxygen for several minutes.
In another case, the firm won a multi-million dollar settlement for a four-year-old girl who suffered brain damage because she was too heavily sedated to undergo tests for diabetes. Dr. Zakeosian discovered that the anesthesia caused respiratory depression and that the patient had not been properly monitored during the procedures.
In yet another Kline & Specter case that resulted in a substantial settlement, it was found that an anesthesiologist was responsible for a woman suffering a stroke and resulting paralysis after her blood pressure was allowed to drop too low during surgery.
If you know of an instance in which a possible anesthesia error caused severe injury or death, you should contact the attorneys at Kline & Specter for a free evaluation of your case. We handle cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York and for cases outside those states we work with local attorneys in each state as applicable.
