When your brain experiences hypoxia, there’s a heightened possibility of brain damage with great severity. There’s also the potential of death when there is an insufficient amount of oxygen because your brain cells will begin the process of degrading within approximately four minutes. It’s worth noting that there are different types of anoxia that can occur.
The brain can experience an injury when there isn’t enough hemoglobin. This is a substance in the red blood cells that delivers and circulates oxygen throughout your entire body. Anoxic anoxia occurs when there isn’t a sufficient amount of blood flowing, which is often what happens when a person has a stroke. In fact, anoxic anoxia is something that often happens at high altitudes where the air tends to be much thinner than usual. Ischemic anoxia is when the brain is no longer participating in blood flow, which is similar to what happens during a stroke.
Most people know they have experienced a hypoxic-ischemic event when they feel weak in their extremities, are unable to think as clearly as usual and have a hard time visualizing objects, especially objects at a distance. Another sign of a hypoxic-ischemic injury is that you have a difficult time following easy instructions that were once second nature.
Blood that’s oxygenated comes from your lungs and your heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout your body. An important part of the process is that oxygen rich blood is carried to your brain. When the flow of blood is blocked, anoxic brain damage will take place. This can also happen when the flow of blood is slowed down by shock, a heart attack or a stroke. Another way in which anoxic brain damage occurs is when oxygen rich blood is limited because of pulmonary disease, suffocation, exposure to toxins or choking.
When it comes to risk factors for anoxic brain damage, there are quite a few, such as overdosing on drugs, being exposed to high levels of electricity, having a heart arrhythmia, going into cardiac arrest or having a heart attack. Electric shock can cause anoxic brain damage because it exposes a person to high levels of electricity.
As with many other conditions, anoxic brain damage can be diagnosed through use of a CT scan or brain MRI. There have been instances when a patient has had lengthy surgery with long periods of ventilation. During the awakening period after major surgery, some patients observe the symptoms of anoxic brain damage. Being on a heart and lung machine for a long period of time can create a problem with the amount of oxygen rich blood that’s carried to a person’s brain.
Part of the responsibility of the medial team, including surgeons, perfusionists, nurses an anesthesiologists, is to manage the amount of a patient’s cardio output. This includes reading monitors and paying attention to other important signs of proper oxygenation to ensure the patient is receiving the right amount of oxygen and perfusion. This is important during and after a surgical procedure.
There have been many successful cases surrounding medical negligence that resulted in complications and even death as a result of anoxic brain damage. Part of the reason why many cases have been successful is because there was a failure among the medical staff to communicate with others on the medical team. It’s been proven in the past that effective communication could have prevented anoxic brain damage. It is imperative that all medical personnel involved in a surgical procedure communicate appropriately to optimize patient safety and achieve desired outcomes.
If you or someone you love has experienced an injury as a result of medical negligence related to anoxic brain damage, contact the team at Zayed Law Offices to get help recovering the compensation you deserve. You can meet with someone from our team to share your story and get a better understanding of what’s involved in a medical negligence case. It’s important to work with a qualified team of professionals that understand what it takes to get justice on your behalf. This is especially true when you’re dealing with an issue like anoxic brain damage. Whether you have a question about loss of wages, medical bills, pain and suffering or wrongful death, we’re here to help.