NCJ Number
209988
Date Published
2005
Length
89 pages
Annotation
This chapter describes iatrogenic injury and discusses aspects of the postmortem examination.
Abstract
Iatrogenesis is the induction of illness or injury by the activities of health care clinicians. Iatrogenic death encompasses a wide range of perioperative and nonperioperative complications as well as various types of iatrogenic injury that cause or contribute to the death of the victim. The various types of iatrogenic illness or injuries are reviewed, including complications related to surgery and invasive procedures, nonprocedural complications, and complications associated with therapy and health supplements. Aspects of the forensic pathological investigation of suspected iatrogenic deaths are considered. Such forensic examinations are crucial for their contribution to injury prevention, medical audit, continuing improvement in health care, and to the array of clinicopathological and medicolegal issues that accompany iatrogenic deaths. The process of investigating the iatrogenic origins of death is complex and covers practically all fields within medicine. The author discusses the autopsy proper, aspects of the ancillary investigation, and the autopsy report. The appendix presents 10 cases of complex perioperative iatrogenic deaths, including the circumstances surrounding the death and the autopsy findings. Tables, figures, appendix, references