Anaesthesiology claims concern the care provided before, during, and after the administration of anaesthesia. Although serious anaesthetic complications are uncommon relative to the volume of procedures, their consequences can be catastrophic, including hypoxic brain injury, awareness under anaesthesia, airway and dental injury, nerve injury from positioning, and medication error.
Recurring allegations include inadequate pre-operative assessment of risk, failure to secure or manage the airway, failure to monitor and respond to deterioration in vital signs, drug selection and dosing errors, and inadequate post-operative recovery monitoring. The standard of care is established through expert evidence from anaesthesiology and is assessed against the clinical situation as it developed, and causation can be contested where the patient carried significant independent anaesthetic risk arising from their underlying condition.
Posts tagged Anaesthesiology analyze Ontario decisions involving the conduct of anaesthesia and peri-operative care.
The Court of Appeal affirmed a $12 million plaintiff verdict for catastrophic maternal brain injury, rejecting the defence theory of amniotic fluid embolism.
A failed obstetric epidural with a fractured needle did not prove substandard technique. The British Columbia court rejected outcome-based reasoning on both grounds.
A young mother left in a permanent vegetative state after C-section. The court found anesthesiology negligence but accepted that an amniotic fluid embolism was the unavoidable cause.
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