Medico-legal Issues Legal Woes of incomplete intraoperative charting

Abstract

Legal defense to litigation based on a surgical or anaesthetic accident can be made or lost on the basis of intraoperative charting. Plaintiffs’ lawyers thrive on weaknesses or glaring contraindications in the surgical and anaesthetic record. They cringe, however, when faced with well documen- ted records that demonstrate clear, concise charting that provides plausible or reasonable explana- tions for intraoperative Problems.