Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine

Anesthetic practice is always at high risk in medical profession. Most of the time there is only a little interaction between the patient and the anaesthesiologist and people are not much aware about the anaesthesia & the risks involved. In perioperative deaths, anesthetists are also blamed and patient or his relatives react in a hostile manner towards the anaesthesiologist and many a times they seek redressal in a police station/courts of law. To avoid negligence anaesthetist must do pre-anesthetic checkup, take informed consent, check the equipment/monitors/drugs, attends the patient till he comes out from the effect of anaesthesia. Improved monitoring especially the greater use of pulse oxymetry and capnography has undoubtedly decreased the complications. If death occurs, discussion between Forensic pathologist, surgeon and anesthetist is the right solution for investigation of such deaths which may more fruitful than a bare autopsy.