Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Anesthesiology Reanimation

.: ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Analysis of Closed Malpractice Claims in Anesthesia Practices From 2009 to 2022: A Retrospective Study
2009-2022 Yılları Arasında Anestezi Pratiklerinde Kapalı Malpraktis İddialarının Analizi: Retrospektif Çalışma
Oya KILCIa , Feryal KORKMAZ AKÇAYa , Özlem BALKIZ SOYALa , Betül GÜVEN AYTAÇb
aAnkara Bilkent City Hospital, Clinic of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara, Türkiye
bHealth Sciences University Faculty of Medicine, Bilkent Ankara City Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Ankara, Türkiye
Turkiye Klinikleri J Anest Reanim. 2025;23(1):9-14
doi: 10.5336/anesthe.2025-109506
Article Language: EN
Full Text
ABSTRACT
 Objective: This retrospective study aims to comprehensively analyze closed malpractice claims related to anesthesia procedures in Türkiye from 2009 to 2022. The study seeks to identify the most common causes of anesthesia-related malpractice claims, evaluate patient outcomes, and assess the legal decisions made in these cases. Material and Methods: A total of 101 cases were analyzed based on factors such as the cause of each case, the final condition of the patient, court decisions, and anesthesia-related complications. The data were collected from publicly accessible legal databases and evaluated statistically to determine significant trends. Results: The findings indicate that intraoperative complications and postoperative mortality are the most frequent issues, with 25.7% of cases linked to surgical complications. Anesthesia-related intraoperative cardiac arrests accounted for 23.8% of cases. Among the patients involved, 64.4% had died, and 63.4% of cases were determined to involve negligence. Despite these findings, there was no statistically significant difference in mortality rates between cases with and without negligence (p>0.05). The study also highlights a rising trend in anesthesia-related malpractice cases in recent years, emphasizing the importance of adopting enhanced monitoring techniques and improving professional training programs. Conclusion: This study identifies critical vulnerabilities in anesthetic practices, underlining the need for improved clinical protocols, better intraoperative monitoring, and enhanced post-anesthetic care. Increased focus on patient safety measures, adherence to evidence-based guidelines, and the regular training of healthcare professionals can significantly reduce the frequency of preventable anesthesia-related complications. Future research should explore strategies to mitigate malpractice risks and improve the overall quality of anesthetic care.

Keywords: Malpractice; anesthetic management; intraoperative complications
ÖZET
 Amaç: Bu retrospektif çalışma, 2009'dan 2022'ye kadar Türkiye'de anestezi prosedürleriyle ilgili kapatılan malpraktis iddialarını kapsamlı bir şekilde analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma, anesteziyle ilgili malpraktis iddialarının en yaygın nedenlerini belirlemeyi, hasta sonuçlarını değerlendirmeyi ve bu vakalarda verilen yasal kararları değerlendirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Her bir vakanın nedeni, hastanın son durumu, mahkeme kararları ve anesteziyle ilgili komplikasyonlar gibi faktörlere göre toplam 101 vaka analiz edildi. Veriler, kamuya açık yasal veri tabanlarından toplandı ve önemli eğilimleri belirlemek için istatistiksel olarak değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Bulgular, intraoperatif komplikasyonların ve postoperatif mortalitenin en sık karşılaşılan sorunlar olduğunu, vakaların %25,7'sinin cerrahi komplikasyonlarla bağlantılı olduğunu göstermektedir. Anestezi ile ilgili intraoperatif kardiyak arrestler vakaların %23,8'ini oluşturmaktadır. Dâhil olan hastalar arasında %64,4'ü ölmüş ve vakaların %63,4'ünün ihmal içerdiği belirlenmiştir. Bu bulgulara rağmen, ihmali olan ve olmayan vakalar arasında ölüm oranlarında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark yoktu (p>0,05). Çalışma ayrıca son yıllarda anesteziyle ilgili malpraktis vakalarında artan bir eğilime dikkat çekerek, gelişmiş izleme tekniklerinin benimsenmesinin ve profesyonel eğitim programlarının iyileştirilmesinin önemini vurgulamaktadır. Sonuç: Bu çalışma, anestezi uygulamalarındaki kritik zaafları belirleyerek, iyileştirilmiş klinik protokollere, daha iyi intraoperatif izlemeye ve geliştirilmiş anestezi sonrası bakıma olan ihtiyacın altını çizmektedir. Hasta güvenliği önlemlerine daha fazla odaklanılması, kanıta dayalı yönergelere uyulması ve sağlık çalışanlarının düzenli olarak eğitilmesi, önlenebilir anesteziyle ilgili komplikasyonların sıklığını önemli ölçüde azaltabilir. Gelecekteki araştırmalar, malpraktis risklerini azaltma ve anestezi bakımının genel kalitesini iyileştirme stratejilerini araştırmalıdır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Malpraktis; anestezi yönetimi; intraoperatif komplikasyonlar
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