Closed Claims Project

Question 1

Mortality or permanent CNS injury resulted in what percent of claims?

Answer 1

90%

Question 2

Severity of claims and average payout increased/decreased b/t ‘85-‘05

Answer 2

increased

Question 3

What it the most common incident/etiology of respiratory complications?

Answer 3

most common incident - hypoxemia; most frequent cause of hypoxemia - improper placement/maint of ETT (25% due to esophageal intubation)

Question 4

What medical condition is the most common claim against anesthesiologists?

Answer 4

back disorder

Question 5

list the 5 most common drugs given in error (2 drugs, 3 classes)

Answer 5

sux 17%, epi 8%, inhalationals 13%, opioids 12%, LA’s 9%

Question 6

Patient positioning problems have an average payout of _____?

Answer 6

$200K

Question 7

What is a sentinel event?

Answer 7

an event resulting in death or serious injury to a patient which was not related to the natural course of a patient’s illness

Question 8

What are the 5 most common sentinel events?

Answer 8

diff intubation, esoph intubation, aspiration, ulnar neuropathy, brachial N injury, SC injury