Medical or clinical negligence claims are often associated with mistakes made by doctors, as when a surgeon inadvertently removes the wrong organ or a GP misdiagnoses a patient.

Some clinical negligence claims, however, arise following complications with anaesthesia. Unfortunately, in many such cases the consequences for the patient can be catastrophic.

Complications

The Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCOA) supplies no fewer than fourteen leaflets for patients concerned about the risk of suffering death, injury or illness as a result of being administered an anaesthetic (usually a general one).

The RCOA notes that sickness or vomiting is common in around one in every three patients, whilst some types of surgery carry greater risk than others. The more benign complications that can be caused by an anaesthetic include suffering a sore throat and shivering.

Anaesthesia also carries a risk of disorientation or confusion after surgery, whilst eyesight can also be damaged during an operation. Around 1 in 60,000 patients suffer loss of vision after being administered a general anaesthetic, but corneal abrasions (damage to the cornea) are relatively common, with 1 in 25 patients suffering injury.

More serious complications include chest infection, anaphylaxis (a serious allergy), nerve damage and, in the most extreme cases, brain damage or even death. Fatalities caused by general anaesthesia in the UK are rare, with an estimated 1 in 185,000 patients suffering death after anaesthetists had made an error, such as by administering the wrong drug.

Negligence

No medical treatment is without risk, but patients should not expect to suffer unnecessarily due to the negligence of medical professionals, who may be said to act negligently when their performance deviates from the standard reached by a responsible body of medical opinion.

Although anaesthesia carries some degree of risk that cannot be avoided in all cases, modern equipment and medical training ought to prevent the majority of deaths and serious complications. Unfortunately, anaesthetists do make mistakes on occasions and patients can suffer serious physical complications as a result.

Making a Claim for Compensation

Claiming compensation for an injury or illness caused by an anaesthetic is similar to any other kind of clinical negligence claim, which requires specially trained medical solicitors to gather and assess the evidence with the aim of bringing a claim against a doctor, clinic or health authority.

In some cases, a representative of the claimant will instigate legal proceedings. This is likely to be the case when the claimant has suffered a brain injury or some other debilitating condition. It is necessary for the claimant or their representative to gather all relevant medical evidence to assist the solicitor, who will discuss the process of claiming compensation in precise detail. Claims for compensation can be made on a no-win, no-fee basis more often than not, meaning claimants shoulder far less risk if the case fails.