Anaesthesia allergy: Was medical negligence responsible for the Bangalore woman's death?

While very few patients are allergic to anaesthesia, there are a few instances that a severe reaction can result in the patient going into anaphylactic shock

Written By: Pavitra Sampath | Updated : June 15, 2015 11:14 PM IST

Recently a woman in Bangalore died of an alleged allergy to anaesthesia. She was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a tumour in her uterus. According to her relatives, the nurses in the OT came out in a few minutes after they took her in for the surgery, and enquired if she suffered from epilepsy, when the family responded in the negative; the nurses told them that the lady was in a critical condition. On further investigation the family found that her heart had stopped and the hospital was transferring her to Fortis for further care. The lady was declared dead in the Fortis hospital ICU.

The reason for her death is still under the scanner, and since the death has been deemed a medico legal case, her body has been sent for post mortem investigations. So what went wrong? To explain that you first have to understand:

What is anaesthesia?

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Anaesthesia is a combination of drugs that are meant to reduce the sensation of pain and all-round alertness. It is done mainly to help a person undergoing a surgical procedure to withstand the pain associated with the surgery. Another reason is to prevent the body from going in shock (a protective mechanism of the body to help it survive grave danger) during the procedure. There are two types of anaesthesia general and local. General anaesthesia is where the person is sedated along with the numbing of the pain sensation and local anaesthesia is when the area to be operated upon is numbed. The patient is awake during this procedure. Though there are other sub-parts of the types of anaesthesia, these are the two main types.

What went wrong?

While very few patients are allergic to anaesthesia, there are a few instances that a severe reaction can result in the patient going into anaphylactic shock. Another consideration is that anaesthesia is depressant in nature. It slows down the brain, heart and lung functions to allow for the surgery to be performed. Although this is not the only action of an anaesthetic, it is important in this case, because if it is administered to a patient who suffers from epilepsy, it can set off a series of severe reactions in the person's nervous system. According to media reports the woman suffered a massive cardiac arrest which could be an indication of anaesthesia overdose. (Read: Anaesthesia overdose case: Should children undergo male breast reduction surgery?)

What the standard medical procedure should bein such cases (we've not been able to contact the hospital in question and can't say with any authority what procedure they followed):

A detailed medical of the patient should be taken and referred to before surgery. This would have avoided any confusion about the patient's health parameters.
While administering anaesthesia all precaution should be in place including checking for right amount of anaesthesia according to the patient's weight.
Steps to follow in case of such emergencies should be known beforehand. This includes steps to revive patients after a cardiac arrest. (Read: How to be prepared for a medical emergency)
The delay in transferring the patient to another hospital due to lack of equipment could have been avoided. Hospitals that carry out procedures as complex as removal of tumours, should have life-saving measures in place.

We sympathise with the bereaved family and hope that the reason for the mishap is found at the earliest.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of allergies.

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