[Iatrogenic pathology, its role in the structure of patient morbidity and thanatogenesis]

Iatrogenic diseases which were an immediate cause of death or played an important role in thanatogenesis were found in 319 (14.2%) of 2250 autopsy cases of patients with surgical, therapeutical and neurosurgical pathology. Surgical iatrogenesis was established in 226 (70.8%), and therapeutical one in 59 (18.5%) cases. Revealing a neurosurgical iatrogenesis (10.7%) represented considerable difficulties. The pathologists, in the authors opinion, do not pay a sufficient attention to establishing iatrogenic pathology in spite of its constant increase during last years and the fact it occupies a considerable percentage in the morbidity structure and thanatogenesis. The necessity to respect the instructions of the ICD-9th concerning "second diseases" is outlined. The pathologists together with clinicians should try to clarify the causes of iatrogenic diseases and their true incidence.