Malpractice Litigation for Compartment Syndrome.

Area of Science:

• Medical Malpractice Law
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Litigation surrounding compartment syndrome is analyzed to understand causes and outcomes.
• Identifying trends in malpractice suits can guide improvements in clinical care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze litigation involving compartment syndrome.
• To identify common causes and outcomes of malpractice suits related to compartment syndrome.
• To provide insights for improving clinical care and reducing litigation.

Main Methods:

• Jury verdict reviews from the Westlaw database (January 1, 2010 - January 1, 2018).
• Search term 'compartment syndrome' used to identify cases.
• Data extracted on physician specialty, plaintiff demographics, allegations, and verdicts.

Main Results:

• 124 cases identified; hospitals named defendants in 51.6%.
• Orthopedic (45.96%) and emergency medicine (20.16%) physicians most frequent defendants.
• Failure to diagnose cited in 71.8% of cases, often involving lower extremity trauma and nerve damage.
• 32.25% of cases resulted in plaintiff verdicts or settlements, averaging $1,553,993.66.

Conclusions:

• Failure to diagnose or delay treatment are primary causes of compartment syndrome malpractice litigation.
• Orthopedic and vascular surgeons are frequently named defendants.
• Compartment syndrome requires high clinical suspicion for timely diagnosis due to lack of objective criteria, making it vulnerable to litigation.