D Roc, having given anesthesia for over three decades in a tertiary care center first, then in a small regional hospital, I've many patients who I thought might die "on me," and though I've had a few, I've had very few..which is a very good thing. I've never experienced the type of circumstance you describe though I've read of them.

I've always had the luxury of telling the surgeon regarding a patient who looked like he had one step in the grave and the other poised, "no, not here," meaning we shouldn't do the case in our hospital.

There is book, that even as a believer was absolutely horrible to read, and that was "23 Minutes in hell." I don't quite know what to say about this book but state this seriously to the steadfast naysayers, the ultimate irony is he will be until he's there and then it's too late. I believe, rather I know it's a definite, literal place; perhaps of a different dimension and time will no longer exist.