Management of testicular torsion in the ER: Lessons learned from medical professional liability claims

Objective: To evaluate emergency care for testicular torsion in medical professional liability claims. Method: Claims related to testicular torsion from 2000 to 2018 were located. The assistance provided and the association with medical professional liability were analyzed. Results: Eighty complaints were identified, testicular pain was reported in 83.75% of first consultations, with a mean evolution time of 15.5 h. The mean time to diagnosis was 7.98 days. The first consultation was at the hospital in 75.1% of cases, but an ultrasound was performed only in 7.5%. When testicular torsion diagnosis was performed, 97.3% had undergone ancillary tests. The medical professional liability was significantly associated with non-criminal proceedings and with less than 6 h of symptoms' evolution, and, within this subgroup, without undergoing an ultrasound scan. Conclusions: Late consultations, wrong diagnosis and late diagnosis are claimed. When medical professional liability are claimed by means of non-criminal law, the existence of responsibility is frequently considered, even more in those cases when the consultation took place before 6 h of evolution with no ancillary tests having been performed. (C) 2021 AEU. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.