Page 57 - 2022 Risk Basics - Anesthesiology

SVMIC Risk Basics: Anesthesiology

 Be empathetic to the patient’s concerns — hear them out.

 Avoid an assumption of responsibility.

 If it’s clear at the time, explain how the dental injury
occurred. If it is not clear, do not speculate, but assure the

patient you’ll investigate the cause and report back.

 Inform the patient that dental injury is a known risk and

complication that can occur with the most expert

practitioner.

 Remind the patient that the risk was discussed with

him/her prior to surgery and was contained in the form
he/she signed.

 Be sure to offer a “blameless apology”, i.e. that you’re
sorry the complication occurred, followed by the

suggestion that the patient follow up with his/her dentist.

 If the patient requests payment, advise that the matter

will be reviewed in light of the request, but one has to be
careful not to commit to payment until this review has

occurred.

Inappropriate Response to Emergencies

Inappropriate response to emergencies may be a preventable

issue when it results from neglecting maintenance issues
including failure to do the anesthesia equipment checks or

checks on backup equipment. Examples from SVMIC’s claims

include:

 In a failed airway situation, a dim bulb in the fiber optic
scope caused delay in intubating and possibly

contributed to hypoxic encephalopathy

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