The national practitioner data bank and CRNA anesthesia-related malpractice payments

A retrospective analysis of the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Public Use Data File was performed on anesthesia-related malpractice payments from 2004 to 2010. Anesthesia-related allegations, malpractice act or omission codes, severity of injury, and cost were assessed. The NPDB captured 369 anesthesia-related malpractice payments associated with Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), of which the 3 most frequently coded injury classifications for severity were death, minor permanent injury, and grave permanent injury. In general, the most costly payments based on median cost were major permanent injury, followed by grave permanent injury and death. When reviewing specific allegations of malpractice act or omission among the total number of CRNA malpractice payments, the most common allegations were improper performance,, failure to monitor, and problem with intubation. Patients between the ages of 40 and 59 years, inpatients, and female gender were independently more prevalent among CRNA malpractice claims leading to payment than other patient demographics.