[Discrepancies between clinical and pathological diagnosis in a polyvalent intensive care service]. / Discrepancias entre el diagnóstico clínico y el anatomopatológico en un Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Polivalente.

OBJECTIVES: Analyze the frequency and spectrum of the most relevant diseases found in the necropsic study. Assess the association between stay in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) less than 24 hours and rate of diagnostic errors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective, observational study during a 46 month period in a polyvalent ICU. The differences between the clinical and pathological diagnoses were established based on Goldman's classification. RESULTS: A total of 85 autopsies out of 520 exitus (16.3%) were done. Five patients were excluded due to incomplete information. Of the 80 cases, we found 30 patients with major errors, 21 with therapeutic and prognostic repercussion, 9 in which the therapeutic strategy had not been modified. The most frequently found diagnosis in type I error was bacterial infection followed by cardiovascular disease. Major error rate with therapeutic repercussion was superior in patients with a stay in the ICU less than 24 hours (40% vs 21%; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Autopsy continues to be a useful tool to assess quality of clinical diagnosis. The diagnostic errors with therapeutic repercussion are bacterial infections and cardiovascular disease. Patients with a stay less than 24 hours have a higher rate of type I diagnostic errors.

Discrepancias entre el diagnóstico clínico y el anatomopatológico en un Servicio de Cuidados Intensivos Polivalente / Discrepancies between clinical and pathological diagnosis in a Polyvalent Intensive Care Service

Objetivos. Analizar la frecuencia y espectro de las patologías más relevantes encontradas en el estudio necrópsico. Valorar la asociación entre estancia en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) inferior a 24 horas y la tasa de errores diagnósticos. Material y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo observacional durante un período de 46 meses en una UCI polivalente. Las diferencias entre el diagnóstico clínico y anatomopatológico se establecieron en función de la clasificación de Goldman. Resultados. Se realizaron 85 autopsias de un total de 520 exitus (16,3%). Cinco pacientes fueron excluidos por información incompleta. De los 80 casos, encontramos 30 pacientes con errores mayores, 21 con repercusión terapéutica y pronóstica, y 9 en los que la estrategia terapéutica no se hubiera modificado. El diagnóstico más frecuentemente encontrado en el error tipo I fue la infección bacteriana seguida de la patología cardiovascular. La tasa de errores mayores con repercusión terapéutica fue superior en los pacientes con una estancia en UCI inferior a 24 horas (40% frente a 21%; p < 0,05). Conclusiones. La autopsia continúa siendo una herramienta útil para evaluar la calidad del diagnóstico clínico. Los errores diagnósticos con repercusión terapéutica son las infecciones bacterianas y la patología cardiovascular. Los pacientes con una estancia en la UCI inferior a 24 horas presentan una tasa mayor de errores diagnósticos tipo I

Objectives. Analyze the frequency and spectrum of the most relevant diseases found in the necropsic study. Assess the association between stay in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) less than 24 hours and rate of diagnostic errors. Material and methods. Retrospective, observational study during a 46 month period in a polyvalent ICU. The differences between the clinical and pathological diagnoses were established based on Goldman's classification. Results. A total of 85 autopsies out of 520 exitus (16.3%) were done. Five patients were excluded due to incomplete information. Of the 80 cases, we found 30 patients with major errors, 21 with therapeutic and prognostic repercussion, 9 in which the therapeutic strategy had not been modified. The most frequently found diagnosis in type I error was bacterial infection followed by cardiovascular disease. Major error rate with therapeutic repercussion was superior in patients with a stay in the ICU less than 24 hours (40% vs 21%; p < 0.05). Conclusions. Autopsy continues to be a useful tool to assess quality of clinical diagnosis. The diagnostic errors with therapeutic repercussion are bacterial infections and cardiovascular disease. Patients with a stay less than 24 hours have a higher rate of type I diagnostic errors