Litigation

Brain Damage Due to Over Medication from Anesthesia

By Michael Kaplen

 A new web site sponsored by the non-profit Goldilocks Anesthesia Foundation promotes the use of brain monitors during anesthesia to prevent brain damage caused by over medication.

Death isn't always the biggest danger of too much anesthesia, says Goldilocks Anesthesia Foundation. Brain damage is also a hazard for patients undergoing surgery when a brain monitor is not used by the anesthesiologist, reveals the recently formed non-profit organization.

The founder of the organization Barry Friedberg, M.D.  attributes avoidable deaths, variable degrees of temporary mental impairment, and cases of lingering brain damage to anesthesiologists continuing to measure the wrong thing; i.e. changes in vital signs, now known to be inaccurate indicators of brain response to anesthesia.

"The brain is the target for anesthesia," says Friedberg, "It's critical for the brain to be measured with a brain activity monitor; however, most anesthesiologists are not doing this."

So, how can a patient know if a brain monitor will be used during surgery?  By insisting that their anesthesia provider uses one.

Says Friedberg, "If the answer is 'no,' tell them you will find a hospital or surgicenter that does brain monitoring with anesthesia. Taking a firm stand will get attention and as a result, more facilities will use brain monitoring with anesthesia."

The web site can be found by clicking here.

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on June 02, 2009 (boomark / email).