Provides guidance on managing the stressful aftermath of unexpected death or serious injury resulting from anaesthesia.
Offers support strategies after anaesthetic disasters; leaves open the need for empirical validation before routine adoption.
Death or serious injury occur occasionally as a result of anaesthesia. Usually, they arise unexpectedly. The consequences are disturbing and stressful for the patient who survives, for the relatives, for the anaesthetist and for other members of hospital staff. This paper considers the events which ensue in the aftermath of such a disaster and offers advice which may be helpful in assisting the relatives and staff to cope. Some aspects of the document may also be applicable to management of complaints relating to less serious injuries, or to other causes of disciplinary or civil actions against anaesthetists.
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A. R. Aitkenhead (1997) studied this question.
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