Anaesthesia is a highly specialist skill, without which many other clinical skills could not properly be provided. All anaesthesia, from simple injection for a tooth extraction, to full depth unconsciousness induced for major surgery, carries some degree of risk. The skilled anaesthetist is trained to assess, monitor and reduce the risk as much as possible.
Thankfully, the truly horrific situation of a patient being aware and able to feel pain, yet unable to communicate this to a surgical team, is rare; but it can happen. If it does, not only does the patient endure significant pain and distress, but is at risk of even more serious injury, even death.
Such cases require advice from specialist medical negligence solicitors like ourselves who have experience of dealing with anaesthetic awareness compensation claims.
