Death from Massive PE (Case #94)

• Medical Probability: 1 / 10
• Medical Error Summary: There was no sign or symptom to make the cardiologist suspicious of PE. If patient would've told the cardiologist about the arm swelling, them a doppler of the extremity would've been necessary to eva...
• Causation Probability: 1 / 10
• Causation Summary: The small peripheral IV for a short period of time for the purpose of stress test does not cause large PE to cause such outcome. Small peripheral IVs can cause superficial thrombosis which does not ne...
• Expert Summary: I'm an ICU physician and manage many patients with PE. From mild to most severe form of PE that causes sudden death.
• Similar Summary: As an ICU physician, I see multiple patients with PE every week in the hospital setting.

Intra-abdominal infection resulting in hemodialysis (Case #107)

• Medical Probability: 10 / 10
• Medical Error Summary: Yes and Yes to both questions. Patient showed signs of intrabdominal pathology, which was serious enough for the primary physician to order STAT CT scan. STAT tests and imaging should be completed wit...
• Causation Probability: 10 / 10
• Causation Summary: There was significant delay in acting on a test that was thought (appropriately) to be urgent. This patient should've been admitted to the hospital and most likely undergone surgery on Friday the 6th.
• Expert Summary: As a board certified intensivist, I manage many patients with intraabdominal infection, sepsis and septic shock on a daily basis.
• Similar Summary: I see and manage multiple patients with sepsis and septic shock on a daily basis and I manage multiple patients with intraabdominal infection on a weekly basis.

Compartment syndrome resulting in amputation (Case #110)

• Medical Probability: 10 / 10
• Medical Error Summary: Signs and symptoms of compartment syndrome was present on the first ED visit. The first error was a delay in care. This was a true emergency and the patient should've been evaluated by CT scan of the ...
• Causation Probability: 10 / 10
• Causation Summary: There was a significant delay in care and also missed-diagnosis. There was a possibility of saving the patient's limb if all diagnostic tests were done properly and the patient was managed accordingly...
• Expert Summary: I'm a board-certified internal medicine and critical care physician that deals with all critical conditions including compartment syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis. I have managed multiple similar ca...
• Similar Summary: I see at least 1-2 compartment syndrome and/or necrotizing fasciitis a month.

Epidural abscess results in fall and paralysis (Case #124)

• Medical Probability: 9 / 10
• Medical Error Summary: The case summary timing is a bit confusing. It says the MRI was done at 4:00 PM on the 13th with the result as mentioned above. A few lines later, it says the MRI was done about 3:15 PM and reviewed a...
• Causation Probability: 9 / 10
• Causation Summary: It looks like the patient was able to ambulate prior to the fall and the only neurological symptoms was numbness, tingling, and pain. Although it is difficult to say for sure that the fall was the ca...
• Expert Summary: I'm a board-certified Internal medicine and Critical care medicine with over 8 years of experience in managing all types of critical care illnesses. Spinal cord abscess/injury is a critical diagnosis ...
• Similar Summary: As an intensivist, I receive multiple consults for a possible spinal injury and manage over 10 cases of spinal abscess/injury per year.

Massive DVT resulting in death (Case #181)

• Medical Probability: 3 / 10
• Medical Error Summary: Thank you for answering all my questions. From the information provided, it appears that patient was hemodynamically stable (normal/elevated BP and O2 saturation). Feeling of dyspnea post-op day 1 i...
• Causation Probability: 1 / 10
• Causation Summary: Patient with obesity (BMI 32), in patient with over one week of hospitalization, and malignancy is at high risk for developing DVT/PE. This condition was not related to medical error or injury.
• Expert Summary: As a board certified Internal Medicine and critical care physician, I work at cardiovascular ICU. I take care of many patients with large pulmonary embolism and extensive DVT on a regular basis which ...
• Similar Summary: I see several patients every week which are admitted for extensive DVT, PE or arterial occlusion. We provide advanced treatments such as thrombectomy, thrombolysis, bypass procedures and so on for the...