[Report on medico-legal data from the mass-investigation performed by The Medico-Legal Society of Japan (XV). Autopsy cases of therapeutic complications and other medical misadventures in Japan (1981-1991). Planning and Development Committee of The Medico-Legal Society of Japan].
As the continuation of the previous report covering the period of 5 years (1976-1980) from the Medico-Legal Society of Japan, a statistical study was made of therapeutic fatal complications examined by forensic pathologists in Japan in the 11 year period between 1981 and 1991. The total number of the cases obtained was 315, composed of 179 male and 136 female cases. Eighty cases (male 33, female 47) were associated with anesthesia, 74 (53, 21) with injections except anesthetics, 31 (13, 18) with operations, labor and clinical examinations, and 14 (9, 5) with drug administration or inhalation of drugs, respectively. Three cases were associated with blood transfusion and other 3 cases with hemodialysis. Fifteen patients died owing to erroneous diagnosis at the first medical examination. There were 9 cases of drug misuse, of which 7 cases were administered drugs through a wrong route and 2 were carelessly given a drug different from prescription. Miscellaneous cases where autopsy revealed diseases, nursing mishaps, etc. to account for death were 86 (51, 35) in number. Except for the miscellaneous cases, the number of therapeutic fatal complications tends to decrease gradually in comparison with that of the preceding 5 years (1976-1980). Medical practitioners should especially be aware of a slightly large number of the deaths associated with wrong diagnosis as well as those with anesthesia, injections and operations, labor and clinical examinations.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000401:mortality*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012955:Societies, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires