Chronic hepatitis C--assessment in civil law: a case study.
This article describes the case of a 58-year-old man who asked for an assessment of physical damage of a civil nature, having been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C for which he blamed a blood transfusion, supposedly contaminated with hepatitis C virus (HCV). After studying the documentary information, a number of presuppositions were drawn up with a view to determining the causal nexus, but this could not be proved. The assessment of situations like this is not common in civil law. This article is intended to add to the body of information on the forensic assessment of similar cases.
Centre Branch of the National Institute of Legal Medicine, IP, Largo da Sé Nova, 3030-213 Coimbra, Portugal. bruno.santos@dcinml.mj.pt
Bruno Miguel
BM
Santos
Paula
P
Sousa
Filomena
F
Mena
Graça Santos
GS
Costa
Francisco
F
Corte-Real
Duarte Nuno
DN
Vieira
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D035881:Compensation and Redress; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011174:Portugal; D065227:Transfusion Reaction