[Medical liability issues]. / Aspects médico-légaux.

ABSTRACT

Of the 1603 civil liability cases filed between 2002 and 2012 related to upper-limb surgery, we found 20 proceedings (11 in court and 9 in front of the French CCI [commission for medical accidents]) that involved a total of 24 physicians three proceedings involved multiple parties for a single patient and implicated two physicians in two cases and three physicians in one case. The grounds for liability being invoked varied greatly, but a good many of these cases concerned outcomes that were deemed unsatisfactory or insufficient in light of the initial injury. Information is always difficult to convey in an emergency setting, but is not generally disputed. However, the information process must be completed during the postoperative period and the patient informed of the injury assessment, expected results, potential complications and the possibility of surgical revision in the medium term. An expert found grounds for physician liability and breach of best practices in only three cases. In summary, this study shows that trauma-related flexor tendon injuries are rarely grounds for indictment of physicians before courts of civil jurisdiction (12 per 1000) and findings of liability for breach of best practices are even more rare (2 per 1000).