Verdicts on malpractice claims after thyroid surgery: Emerging trends and future directions

被引：80
作者：
Dralle, Henning [1 ,2 ]
Lorenz, Kerstin
Machens, Andreas
机构：
[1] Univ Halle Wittenberg, Univ Hosp, Dept Gen Visceral & Vasc Surg, Halle, Germany
[2] Univ Halle Wittenberg, Fac Med, Halle, Germany
来源：
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK | 2012年 / 34卷 / 11期
关键词：
thyroidectomy; recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy; hypoparathyroidism; medico-legal litigation; civil court; medical arbitration board; malpractice claim; intraoperative nerve monitoring; RECURRENT LARYNGEAL NERVE; PARALYSIS;
D O I：
10.1002/hed.21970
中图分类号：
R76 [耳鼻咽喉科学];
学科分类号：
100213 ;
摘要：
Background Few investigations have addressed malpractice litigation after thyroid surgery. The purpose of this medico-legal review was to provide a more comprehensive picture of medico-legal trends in thyroid surgery. Methods Reviewed were all expert opinions on claims of malpractice after thyroid surgery, commissioned between 1995 and 2010 at 1 tertiary center, and their corresponding verdicts. Results Forty-three of 75 malpractice claims involved recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) palsy (21 unilateral and 22 bilateral palsies), with a 45% tracheostomy rate for bilateral RLN palsy. Twenty-one claims concerned permanent hypoparathyroidism. Since 2007, intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) has become the subject of pleading in 4 of 7 malpractice claims involving unilateral or bilateral RLN palsy. In none of these cases did IONM follow international standards, resulting in 3 plaintiff verdicts. Conclusion The growing appreciation that standardized IONM can prevent bilateral RLN palsies after signal loss on the initial side of resection may become increasingly relevant to malpractice litigation. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2012
引用
收藏
页码：1591 / 1596
页数：6
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