Claims filed against anesthesiologists have decreased from 6 percent per 100 full-time practitioners in 2006 to about 4 percent in 2018, according to a study by The Doctors Company.
The physician-owned medical malpractice insurer reviewed 459 claims for patient injuries from 2013-18.
Four takeaways:
1. The top three factors identified in claims were deficiencies in patient assessments, patient monitoring and communication among providers.
2. The two most common anesthesia patient allegations in claims from 2013-18 were improper management of patients under anesthesia (32 percent) and improper performance of anesthesia procedures (27 percent).
3. The most common reason for alleged mismanagement was therapy selection and management. Most of these allegations referred to management of intraoperative complications.
4. Technical performance contributed to patient injury in 88 percent of claims. Alleged improper performance resulted from intubation of the respiratory tract, injection of anesthesia into a peripheral nerve and injection of anesthesia into the spinal canal.
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