Anesthesia on Trial

A laboring patient undergoes three unsuccessful epidural attempts before another anesthesiologist successfully places it. She later develops persistent headaches, back pain, and other symptoms and files a malpractice lawsuit. We examine the allegation that the first anesthesiologist should have stopped sooner, what actually defines a “reasonable” number of attempts, and how providers’ own comments became evidence in the case.

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Joan Rivers entered an outpatient GI center for what appeared to be a relatively routine procedure and died one week later from complications of profound hypoxia. Using testimony and records from the case, we examine the additional airway procedure performed that day, the anesthesiologist’s concerns, the subsequent airway emergency, and the decisions that became central to the malpractice investigation.

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An 81-year-old man with severe ankylosing spondylitis needs an ERCP, but his nearly immobile cervical spine makes positioning dangerous. The anesthesiologist voices concern, the team proceeds with the turn, and an audible crack reveals a C6 fracture. We examine responsibility for positioning, advocacy when you believe a plan is unsafe, and the unusual relationship between the patient and the anesthesiologist afterward.

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An elective bariatric case evolves from a difficult intubation into anesthesia’s nightmare: a can’t-intubate, can’t-ventilate emergency. After repeated airway attempts and administration of a long-acting paralytic, ventilation deteriorates and an emergency surgical airway becomes necessary. We examine where the airway strategy may have gone wrong and when it was time to change course.

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A routine eyelid procedure on a 10-year-old girl turns into an operating room fire when cautery is used near supplemental oxygen. We examine oxygen management, communication between anesthesia and surgery, and how poor documentation became a major part of the malpractice argument.

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A woman arrives after a home birth with a retained placenta and hypotension. After a D&C, her blood pressure deteriorates despite massive transfusion, while the team continues treating presumed postpartum hemorrhage. Hours later, surgery reveals a catastrophic source of bleeding: an aortic dissection. We examine whether anesthesia should have pushed harder for diagnosis and surgical intervention.

Anesthetize: Anesthetize.ai

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After a nine-hour open AAA repair, a patient develops severe hand ischemia and ultimately loses his thumb and index finger. The lawsuit raises major questions about radial arterial lines, the Allen’s test, perioperative perfusion, Swan-Ganz monitoring, and whether any of those issues actually caused the injury.

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More Cases: anesthesiologymalpractice.com⁠

A stat C-section is called for a severely bradycardic fetus. The anesthesiologist, however, refuses to proceed until his backup arrives. Why? He believes he must remain available to supervise a CRNA in another case. We break down the staffing decision, the competing expert opinions, and the devastating outcome that followed.