title: Autopsy analysis in patients with vascular diseases.
abstract: An analysis of autopsy findings in 68 patients who died with vascular surgical disorders was performed. Incorrect diagnoses and therapy were evaluated. It was found that complications of the primary disease or its treatment were frequently missed clinically (41%). Septic complications and severe hemorrhage were common in examinations of morbidity and mortality. In 13% of cases a treatment error with adverse impact on survival was detected. It is concluded that postmortem examination is a valuable tool in the final evaluation of patient care in a vascular surgical unit. A repeated plea for the autopsy is supported by this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, St Radboud University Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Barendregt
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Buskens
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubat
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: de Boer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001344:Autopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy