[Adverse drug events and its forensic medical identification].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the basic principles and important rules of forensic identification of adverse drug events and to accumulate basic data and to provide references for forensic identification of similar cases.


METHODS
Thirty-three cases of adverse drug events in our forensic identification files were retrospectively reviewed, analyzed, and summarized.


RESULTS
There were 27 live and 6 dead victims included in this study. Our study showed a gradually increasing numbers of adverse drug cases in forensic identification year by year with a slight female predominance (20/33 cases, 60.6%). Of the 33 victims, nearly two-thirds (21/33, 63.6%) were due to hospital errors including only one case of drug overdose (1/21, 4.8%), whereas the rest were not related to the hospital errors. Eight cases (8/33, 24.2%) were caused by illegal medical practitioners due to improper use of medication.


CONCLUSIONS
Investigators need to pay more attention to the characteristics and complexities of adverse drug events on a case by case basis encountered in increasing numbers of more and more such forensic identification.
Chen
Teng
T
Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China. chenteng@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
Ru
Xiao-peng
XP
Gu
Shan-zhi
SZ
Han
Wei
W
Jia
Xiao-di
XD
Gao
Ya
Y
Zhang
Qin-chu
QC
D000328:Adult; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005104:Expert Testimony; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006298:Health Services Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008318:Malpractice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult