What is it?
Anaesthesia involves the use of medications to produce controlled unconsciousness or to block sensation, thereby preventing pain during medical procedures or surgery. In the intensive care setting, it may be necessary to relieve anxiety, pain, and agitation associated with severe illness, invasive devices, or the stresses of critical care. Anaesthesia is also commonly used to enable endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation.
What conditions does it cover?
The most common reasons our experts are called upon to provide an opinion on are:
- Incorrect drug or dosage
- Inadequate monitoring of the patient
- Airway management
- Procedure complications
- Unnecessary or excessive use of sedation in an intensive care setting
-
Featured article
Common Causes of Medical Negligence in Intensive Care
Patients treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) often have complicated and life-threatening conditions, which may require treatments that are often invasive and sometimes potentially dangerous. Not surprisingly, adverse events are frequent and may lead to a claim for medical negligence. As well as an increase in mortality, patients may be left with long-standing health…