Table 8.
Factors associated with plaintiff verdicts or settlements (defendant versus plaintiff verdict or settlement)
| Factor | Defendant % (n) |
Plaintiff/settlement % (n) |
OR (95% CI) | p value |
| Tumor type | ||||
| Bone sarcoma (n = 40) | 30% (12) | 70% (28) | 0.54 (0.23 to 1.29) | 0.16 |
| Soft tissue sarcoma (n = 52) | 44% (23) | 56% (29) | ||
| Tumor location | ||||
| Axial/pelvis (n = 21) | 24% (5) | 76% (16) | 0.40 (0.13 to 1.23) | 0.13a |
| Extremity (n = 64) | 44% (28) | 56% (36) | ||
| Defendant specialty | ||||
| Non-primary care (n = 67) | 33% (22) | 67% (45) | 0.45 (0.18 to 1.15) | 0.09 |
| Primary care (n = 25) | 52% (13) | 48% (12) | ||
| Non-orthopaedic surgery (n = 70) | 39% (27) | 61% (43) | 1.10 (0.41 to 2.97) | 1.0a |
| Orthopaedic surgery (n = 22) | 36% (8) | 64% (14) | ||
| Reason for litigation | ||||
| Delayed diagnosis without imaging or histologic findings (n = 49) | 49% (24) | 51% (25) | 3.84 (1.34 to 11.03) | 0.02a |
| Delayed diagnosis with imaging or histologic findings (n = 30) | 20% (6) | 80% (24) | ||
| Injury due to negligence | ||||
| No effect on treatment (n = 64) | 39% (25) | 61% (39) | 1.15 (0.46 to 2.90) | 0.76 |
| Required more extensive treatment (such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy) (n = 28) | 36% (10) | 64% (18) | ||
| No limb loss (n = 73) | 42% (31) | 58% (42) | 2.77 (0.84 to 9.16) | 0.11a |
| Limb loss (n = 19) | 21% (4) | 79% (15) | ||
| Localized disease (n = 45) | 47% (21) | 53% (24) | 2.06 (0.88 to 4.86) | 0.10 |
| Progression to metastatic disease (n = 47) | 30% (14) | 70% (33) | ||
| No death (n = 54) | 37% (20) | 63% (34) | 0.90 (0.38 to 2.12) | 0.81 |
| Death (n = 38) | 39% (15) | 61% (23) |
a
Fisher’s exact test.