Page 9 - 2022 Risk Basics - Anesthesiology

SVMIC Risk Basics: Anesthesiology

used so that members of the anesthesia care team can be

alerted immediately to changes in the patient’s vitals or
condition.
4

Similarly, more comprehensive checklists and uniform

standards as set forth by the ASA and other organizations, as
well as statutory requirements for accreditation for monitored

anesthesia care (MAC) outpatient and office-based surgeries,

have also contributed to the decline in negative outcomes.

Very rarely does the anesthetic agent itself directly cause

injury. In fact, a patient’s risk of complications is more closely

related to the type of procedure the patient is undergoing and
the patient’s general physical health, rather than to the type of

anesthesia the patient is being administered. Older adults,

those with serious medical problems, and those undergoing
lengthy procedures are most at risk of experiencing negative

outcomes.

Despite the tremendous strides that have been made to
improve patient safety and reduce anesthesia-related deaths,

the stigma remains in the minds of many patients and jurors
alike that anesthesia is something that carries significantly

greater risk than other areas of medicine. The fears of not

waking up and of surrendering control while unconscious
during surgery weigh heavily on their minds; and this fear can

create distrust of and bias against those who administer
anesthesia. Plaintiff attorneys are aware that this fear and bias

exist which, combined with the prospect of a more significant

4 https://www.asahq.org/standards-and-guidelines/standards-for-basic-anesthetic-monitoring

Page | 9