Anesthesiologist on trial for negligent homicide pleads not guilty in patient's death

The patient, a 55-year-old woman, had been scheduled for a complicated jaw operation at the dental practice. Prosecutors allege that the anesthesiologist's approach during the procedure triggered a cardiac arrest and oxygen deprivation to the brain, which ultimately caused her death.

In his testimony, the anesthesiologist insisted he had followed established medical practice. "Ich habe den Arbeitsplatz für alle Eventualitäten vorbereitet und die Narkose streng nach dem standardisierten Prozedere eingeleitet," he told the court. He maintained that "es in keiner Weise Bedenken gegeben" had been given.

The defense attorney, Lukas Kollmann, argued that any subsequent developments could not be attributed to his client. "Was weiter passiert ist, ist ihm nicht zurechenbar," Kollmann said.

Defense argument

According to the defendant's account, the woman had been placed under general anesthesia for the dental procedure. The anesthesia machine reportedly malfunctioned. "Der erste Funktionstest bei der Maschine hat nicht funktioniert," he testified, adding that he switched the device to manual ventilation mode as a result.

He further described the emergency response inside the practice, saying the woman's pulse was lost and he intubated her by inserting a tube into her trachea "um einen weiteren Sauerstoffabfall zu verhindern." When he realized she was deteriorating, he said, "habe ich mit der Reanimation begonnen."

Responding to the presiding judge, who pointed out that the woman had suffered cardiac arrest, the defendant said: "Deswegen haben wir reanimiert. Ich habe eine effektive Herzdruckmassage gemacht." He told the court that when the emergency physician arrived, "es eine Herzfrequenz und einen Blutfluss ins Gehirn gegeben" and that his resuscitation had been successful.

What happens next

The emergency physician who arrived at the practice observed that the patient had blue lips upon arrival, according to testimony. The defendant also noted, "Als sie abtransportiert worden ist, war sie nicht hirntot," challenging the prosecution's framing of the immediate aftermath.

The case now moves into the main evidentiary phase, in which the court will examine the technical evidence, including the alleged defect in the anesthesia machine and the timeline of the emergency response. The trial is being held at a regional court in Austria, according to available reporting.

Prosecutors continue to maintain that the defendant's actions caused the fatal outcome, while the defense is expected to argue that the anesthesiologist acted within accepted medical standards and that subsequent events broke the chain of causation. The court has not yet indicated when a verdict is expected.