Seeking Compensation for Hypoxia of the Brain?

After suffering a brain injury, a victim’s first question might be, “Could someone have prevented my injuries?” Sadly, the answer can be yes – a reasonable and prudent medical practitioner might have prevented prolonged lack of oxygen to the brain through proper patient monitoring. Yet, due to staff member negligence, brain hypoxia during or after surgeries is one of the most common types of medical malpractice that culminates in a lawsuit.

It is sometimes possible to prevent brain hypoxia if the anesthesiologist and other healthcare professionals monitor the patient’s heart rate and other vital signs to detect warning signs of oxygen deprivation. Symptoms a patient might exhibit during or after surgery that could point to brain hypoxia include prolonged low blood pressure, lack of oxygen in the blood, abnormal electrocardiograms (a measure of the heart’s electrical activity), abnormal electroencephalograms (a measure of the brain’s electrical activity), or abnormal heart rate.

Operating room staff members owe patients a duty to constantly monitor for these warning signs to prevent brain hypoxia. Distracted, negligent, or incompetent physicians and nurses can result in preventable hypoxia and related injuries or deaths. An investigation of the incident, along with interviews with highly-credentialed experts on the subject, can help analyze a surgery and determine if one or more parties were negligent in monitoring for brain hypoxia. If so, the injured party could bring a lawsuit against the at-fault person or establishment.