RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Value of the necropsy in perioperative deaths.
JF Journal of Clinical Pathology
JO J Clin Pathol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists
SP 193
OP 195
DO 10.1136/jcp.43.3.193
VO 43
IS 3
A1 Shanks, J H
A1 McCluggage, G
A1 Anderson, N H
A1 Toner, P G
YR 1990
UL http://jcp.bmj.com/content/43/3/193.abstract
AB A series of 213 perioperative deaths was studied out of a total of 1451 consecutive necropsies carried out over three years. Discrepancies between the clinical and the necropsy diagnosis were assessed under four classes of discrepant diagnosis: class I, patient survival affected, treatable; class II, patient survival affected but not treatable; class III, correlated to cause of death but treatable; and class IV, incidental diagnosis which could not have been made before death. Major discrepancies of classes I and II were found in 44 (21%) and 62 (29%) cases, respectively. Minor discrepancies of classes III and IV were found in 63 (30%) and 101 (47%) cases, respectively. No discrepancies were found in 50 (23.5%) cases. These results confirm the continuing value of the necropsy in the assessment of perioperative deaths.