[Medical liability lawsuits according to specialties in Chile]

One-hundred forty-five cases of medical liability lawsuits originating in Chile from January 1987 to June 1991 and studied at the Medico Legal Service, were reviewed. A persistent increase in the number of accusations is observed in these five years. The principal medical specialties involved are Obstetrics and Gynecology (32%), General Surgery (18%), Internal Medicine (15%) and Pediatrics (9%). Seventy seven percent of implicated physicians were accredited specialists. Fifty percent of cases originated from Santiago and 60% from public hospitals. Eighty three percent of analyzed medical records were complete and in 70% the number of laboratory tests requested was adequate. The most frequent conditions that motivated lawsuits were acute fetal distress and puerperal sepsis in Obstetrics and Gynecology, acute abdomen and intra-operatory cardiac arrests in Surgery and sepsis in Internal Medicine. The risk of an unfavorable consequence that may lead to a lawsuit is present in every clinical condition, even in seemingly simple situations.