Patient Suffers Brain Damage While on Anesthesia

Case Overview

This case takes place in Texas and involves a female patient who was scheduled for gallbladder surgery. The patient was ventilated via a breathing mask, however as the surgery got underway it was noticed that the patient’s blood oxygen levels had began to decrease. Despite the danger posed by a decrease in blood oxygen, there was a significant delay in intubating the patient to ensure adequate air flow. After the surgery, the patient was placed in the intensive care unit, where she was seen by a neurologist who noted what appeared to be a decrease in cognitive function due to hypoxia. It is believed that the patient was not adequately monitored during her gallbladder surgery to ensure that she was receiving an adequate amount of oxygen. She is now permanently injured.

Questions to the Anesthesiology expert and their responses

Do you routinely treat patients similar to the one described in the case? Please explain.

I routinely do these kinds of cases all the time.

Have you ever had a patient develop the outcome described in the case? If so, please explain.

I have never had a patient develop this outcome. This is a very strange outcome.

Do you believe this patient may have had a better outcome if the care rendered had been different?

Why did the O2 sat drop? The note says there was an anaphylactic reaction, I'd like to know what the reaction was in response to and how this was treated. What was the timeline between the O2 sat dropping and the airway problem being addressed? A CRNA is qualified to intubate patients alone, and it is an accepted standard of care that if the LMA is unstable, a more secure airway be established.

Have you ever served as an expert witness on a case similar to the one described above? If so, please explain.

I have been an Anesthesiologist for 30 years. I have testified in over 30 cases.

About the expert

This highly qualified and board certified anesthesiologist is currently an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at a top ranking university and an Attending Anesthesiologist at a university affiliated hospital. He completed residency training in Anesthesiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and fellowship training in Cardiovascular Anesthesiology at Texas Heart Institute. The expert has extensive experience in senior positions and has served as the Director and Chief of Anesthesiology for several major medical centers int he south. He is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiology and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists.

E-004510

Specialties:

Anesthesiology