Background: Intra-operative death is an unusual devastating occurrence in anaesthetic practice, and it is of serious concern when it happens.
Objectives: To assess the causes, the effects and the perception of Nigerian anaesthetists to intra-operative death.
Design: A cross-sectional and questionnaire-based study.
Setting: Five University Teaching Hospitals in South-Western Nigeria.
Subjects: Nurse anaesthetists, resident doctors in anaesthesia and consultant anaesthetists.
Results: One hundred and five anaesthetists participated in the study (72.9% response rate). Seventy seven (73.3%) of the respondents had experienced an intra-operative death with most of them having five or more years of experience (p = 0.0001). Majority 53 (68.8%) of the respondents felt that the deaths were avoidable, and most deaths occurred mainly during emergency surgery (96.1%). Forty three (55.8%) of them were psychologically disturbed, fifty six (53.3%) respondents were of the opinion that it is reasonable for the anaesthetists involved not to take partin further surgery for that day. Sixty (57.1%) respondents considered discussion at mortality meeting as appropriate after an intra-operative death.
Conclusion: This study showed that most anaesthetists would want those involved in the intra-operative death not to take part in further surgery for that day. Adequate preventive measures should be put in place with departmental or institutional policies on what to do after such events.