Related Experiment Videos
[Nerve lesions after hip prosthesis implantation--fate or treatment error?]
R T Müller1, N Schürmann, T Lichtinger
1Orthopädische Universitäts- und Poliklinik Essen.
Introduction:
Nerve lesions after hip arthroplasty are common complications which may imply the reproach of a treatment mistake. Thus, the decisive question to the expert runs: fate or treatment mistake?
Methods:
Retrospective analysis of all cases dealt with at the medical expert commission of the General Medical Council Nordrhein during 1977-1997 in respect of the damage mechanisms and expert judgments.
Results:
As long as diagnosis and therapy were set on time, nerve lesions after hip arthroplasty due to extension, pressure or placement of the leg were evaluated as fateful (81%). Delayed treatment as well as incorrect operation technique, -indication, or inadequate documentation were judged as a treatment mistake (19%).
Conclusion:
Nerve lesions after hip arthroplasty cannot always be avoided and thus do not directly imply a treatment mistake. Immediate therapy and precise documentation are important to minimize the damage.