TABLE 1.
Summary of anaesthesia, type of surgery, type of complication and outcome, personnel involved, and litigation result
| Type of anaesthesia |
Type of surgery |
Complication | Outcome | Personnel involved |
Judicial decision |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Epidural | Obstetrics | Dural puncture, catheter migration |
Encephalopathy, lower limb spasticity, dysarthria, and severe mental disorder |
Anaesthesiologist, anaesthetic nurse | Conviction |
| 2 | Epidural | Obstetrics | Spinal haematoma | Ischaemic myelopathy and arachnoiditis |
Anaesthesiologist | Conviction |
| 3 | Epidural | Obstetrics | Dural puncture | Arachnoiditis | Anaesthesiologist | Conviction |
| 4 | Epidural | Obstetrics | Pulmonary oedema |
Death | Anaesthesiologist, obstetrician | First degree conviction, termination of criminal prosecution (statute of limitations) |
| 5 | Epidural | Obstetrics | Dural puncture | Arachnoiditis, cauda equina syndrome |
Anaesthesiologist | Conviction |
| 6 | Spinal | Obstetrics | Dural puncture, electric current sensation |
Aesthetic and motor deficits |
Anaesthesiologist | Conviction |
| 7 | Spinal | Obstetrics | Electric current sensation during puncture | L5 root damage | Anaesthesiologist | Conviction |
| 8 | Epidural | Orthopaedic | Pain during drug administration | L5/S1 disc disease and vertebral prolapse | Anaesthesiologist | Conviction |
| 9 | Epidural | Obstetrics | Electric current sensation during needle insertion | Damage to the distribution of the sciatic nerve and L5–S1 roots |
Anaesthesiologist | First and second-degree conviction, referred to a new trial |
| 10 | Spinal | Urologic | Aspiration | Death | Anaesthesiologist | Acquittal |