Medical Malpractice Following Carpal Tunnel Surgery.

Abstract

There is a paucity of literature examining the reasons for litigation following carpal tunnel surgery in the United States. The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine a nationwide legal database to describe the most frequent reasons for malpractice litigation following carpal tunnel surgery. All malpractice claims that occurred following carpal tunnel surgery were included. In total, 46 cases met inclusion criteria, representing 15 male and 31 female patients with an average age of 46.4 years (±14.7 years). Four cases (8.7%) resulted in settlement. Of the 42 cases that went to trial, 33.3% ended in a decision in favor of the plaintiff and 66.7% ended in a decision in favor of the physician. The average payment for all lawsuits was $637,140.97. There was no significant difference in the average payment for cases lost in court ($329,690±$233,910) vs cases that ended in settlement ($422,286±$388,973). The 3 most frequent reasons for malpractice litigation after carpal tunnel surgery were nerve injury (n=18, 39.1%), persistent pain and numbness (n=15, 32.6%), and regional sympathetic dystrophy (n=9, 19.6%). Complications of carpal tunnel release should be emphasized during the consent process. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(4):e569-e571.].