Patient overdoses, anesthesiologist charged with murder

Posted in Firm News, Medical Malpractice on December 16, 2017

Because doctors are required to complete rigorous educational requirements and participate in extensive on-the-job training before commencing a career, many Washington people place a high level of trust in their health care provider. However, there are times when doctors are at risk of making critical errors, which can result from exhaustion, carelessness or lack of communication among other things. In serious cases, their mistakes can result in the sudden and alarming death or injury of their patients.

This is what happened in a story that made national headlines when a California anesthesiologist allegedly gave his patient an excessive dosage of Demerol ultimately resulting in his patient’s death. The man he was treating, another doctor, was receiving plastic surgery and was taking the drugs as preparation for a procedure. Investigators determined that the anesthesiologist had taken drugs in the form of injections, immediately before treating his patient and was under the influence at the time of his patient’s procedure. Because of the extreme number of narcotics in his patient’s system, investigators determined that the patient went into cardiac arrest which ended up killing him. The doctor is currently being charged with murder and could face up to 25 years to life if he is convicted of said crime.

If people have been injured at the hands of their health care provider, they may benefit from the guidance of an experienced wrongful death attorney. A legal professional can help create a case that effectively alleges medical malpractice.

Source: International Business Times, “Beverly Hills Anesthesiologist Charged With Murdering Plastic Surgeon Patient,” Alex Perry, Dec. 15, 2017