[Expert assessment of decubitus ulcers]

After the Supreme Federal Court (Bundesgerichtshof; BGH) has commented on the liability in civil law in occurrence of decubital ulcers in two judgments in 1986 und 1987, requests for expert reports on this problem area are to be expected more frequently in the future. Thus three forensic autopsies in which the appraisal of decubiti was the reason for the request were already performed in 1988 at the Munich Institute of Forensic Medicine. The priorities of the forensic appraisal are specified on the basis of the criteria enunciated by the BGH. Essentially, care must be taken with regard to exact documentation of whether a risk patient is involved, what prophylactic measures were instituted and that their implementation was checked. The minimum requirements of prophylaxis which have been exactly prescribed by the BGH are described.