Most people do not enjoy surgery, and certainly everyone does not like the way they wake up from surgery. Anesthesia is a very powerful cocktail of drugs which cause paralysis, block pain, and sedate a patient. Therefore, coming out of anesthesia is very risky and can needs to be properly supervised. This is generally done in the post-anesthesia care unit, also known as the PACU. The PACU has a higher ratio of nurses to patients to ensure that patients are well-taken care of during this critical time after a surgery.
However, that does not mean that mistakes do not happen. In fact, many mistakes related to a surgery actually occur in the PACU when a patient is most vulnerable and outside the direct supervision of the surgeon and anesthesiologist. Mistakes in the PACU can result in serious injury and even the wrongful death of a patient due to Minnesota medical malpractice.
There are very unique issues and risks following a surgery that a patient faces. This is a two-fold risk due to the actual surgery, the cutting and procedure, as well as the result of anesthesia. This is why the PACU is so important because a patient will begin to encounter health consequences and healthcare providers will discover any mistakes made during the surgery since, because the patient was anesthetized, he or she could not tell the healthcare team of issues until when he or she wakes up in the PACU.
Some common mistakes due to PACU errors caused by Minnesota medical malpractice include the following:
If you or a loved one have been injured due to the medical malpractice of a healthcare provider such as a doctor, nurse, hospital, or other health care service professional, call Kuhlman Law, LLC for a FREE consultation by dialing (612) 444-3374 to learn what your rights to compensation may be. If we accept your case, we will conduct a thorough review of your case and advise you whether there may have been a serious medical mistake causing your injury. There is no risk, and you do not owe us money unless we win your case.