When you have surgery, you have expectations. You expect that when you go into the operating room, they’ll put the IV in your arm, the mask over your face, that you’ll blackout while counting backwards from 10. You expect to wake up in a well-lit room, warm, with a morphine pump in your hand to ward off the pain.
What would you do if you woke up still in the O.R., still with the mask on your face, able to feel your doctor performing your surgery? It’s a gruesome thought. One that could haunt your nightmares if you think about it too long. But it’s a scenario that’s not far off for some patients.
Is Your Life Part of An Accounting Balance?
In July, Spacelabs Healthcare recalled the Arkon Anesthesia Delivery System. It’s used to “deliver oxygen, air, and nitrous oxide in a controlled manner…and may be used for the delivery of anesthetic vapor.” But during use, this medical device can malfunction, entering a failed state. During this state, it becomes impossible to monitor the air that is being administered, which can result in patient injury, or even death. Instead of insisting on a full, mandatory recall where the systems must be returned, the manufacturer decided to let those medical facilities determine the cost and risk of keeping and continuing to use the faulty anesthesia machine.
At the Harman Law Firm in Atlanta, we believe that patient rights come before a hospital’s cost/benefit analysis. If you have had complications from surgery due to a malfunction of this machine, you have reason to seek legal assistance. Let Matt Harman fight for you!
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