Anesthesia errors

Advances in anesthesia have made many surgeries and procedures possible which, in turn, have saved many lives. As with anything, anesthesia carries risks and anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists must ensure that the patient is maintained at a safe level of sedation.

Negligence can cause some common anesthesia mistakes, which include, but are not limited to:

• Anesthesia awareness
• Anesthesia dosage error
• Delayed delivery
• Failure to intubate or injury caused by negligent intubation
• Failure to monitor the patient
• Failure to recognize complications
• Allowing a patient to go unattended
• Turning off the alarm on the pulse oximeter
• Improper administration of oxygen during surgery
• Unnecessary prolonged sedation