Death Due to Fracture Femur: is it Negligence ?

Fracture of the shaft femur is associated with a number of direct and indirect complications but haemorrhage is the first and the foremost complication which if not treated with timely intervention with arrest of bleeding and blood transfusion, may prove fatal and hence needs early intervention. Death of a young patient of fracture shaft femur due to road side accident occurring after about three days, may be an indicator of improper management of the case and allegation of medical negligence may arise against the treating staff except when there were other intervening complications. Meticulous postmortem examination of such cases is the only answer to prove whether the cause of death was smismanagement in controlling the excessive blood loss or some other events intervened for the fatal outcome.