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What do hospitals monitor during surgery? 

On Behalf of | Jan 5, 2023 | Medical Malpractice

If you’re having surgery, odds are that the hospital has used anesthesia. This means that you are going to be unconscious during the procedure, helping to block the pain. Some procedures are done with a local anesthetic, but general anesthesia is often used to put someone under entirely.

However, while the patient is under the influence of anesthesia, they are entirely vulnerable on their own. The hospital staff has to monitor their vital signs closely to make sure that there are no problems. After all, some mistakes made with anesthesia can be fatal. So what is it that the hospital should be monitoring as they carry out this procedure?

4 key areas

There are four basic areas that the anesthesiologist has to consider, and they are as follows:

  1. Oxygenation: doctors check this by looking at oxygen saturation levels.
  2. Ventilation: Similarly, ventilation is measured by checking carbon dioxide levels.
  3. Temperature: It’s important to keep an eye on the patient’s core temperature to ensure that they do not overheat or become hypothermic.
  4. Circulation: Doctors can check the heart rate and blood pressure, often by using an electrocardiogram analysis system, to make sure the blood is still flowing properly.

Unfortunately, mistakes are sometimes made. Maybe the medical team didn’t keep a close enough eye on the data and so a loved one suffered serious harm or even passed away during the procedure. Maybe they didn’t monitor all of the areas that they should have monitored, and so crucial information was overlooked. Medical workers are human, and mistakes are going to happen.

If one of these mistakes has seriously impacted you and your family, then it’s time for you to look into all of your options to seek proper compensation.

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