ArticleCanadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie2021
Anesthesiology airway-related medicolegal cases from the Canadian Medical Protection Association.
Article in Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Closing the intubation-extubation gap in airway management.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2026Article
- Article
- Seeing is not enough: why introducer choice matters in hyperangulated videolaryngoscopy.Annals of translational medicine · 2026Article
- Medico-legal cases involving gastroenterologists in Canada between 2017 and 2021.Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Transtracheal ultrasound for identifying endotracheal intubation in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Article
- Voice Analysis as a Method for Preoperatively Predicting a Difficult Airway Based on Machine Learning Algorithms: Original Research Report.Health science reports · 2024Article
- Lessons learned from examination of Canadian medico-legal cases related to interventional therapies for chronic pain management.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2023Article
- Article
- The incidence of awake tracheal intubation in anesthetic practice is decreasing: a historical cohort study of the years 2014-2020 at a single tertiary care institution.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2023Article
- Causes and Outcomes of Medicolegal Proceedings Following Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Canada.Gastro hep advances · 2023Article
- Failed tracheal intubation in primary health care.South African family practice : official journal of the South African Academy of Family Practice/Primary Care · 2022Article
- The impact of video games on training: can it change the game of endotracheal intubation?Journal of clinical monitoring and computing · 2022Article
- Negative-Pressure Pulmonary Edema After Difficult Endotracheal Intubation in a Patient with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis Undergoing Spigelian Hernia Surgery: A Case Report.The American journal of case reports · 2022Article
- Diagnostic Efficacy and Clinical Value of Ultrasonography in Difficult Airway Assessment: Based on a Prospective Cohort Study.Contrast media & molecular imaging · 2022Article
- Leadership and teaching in airway management.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2021Article
- Canadian Airway Focus Group updated consensus-based recommendations for management of the difficult airway: part 2. Planning and implementing safe management of the patient with an anticipated difficult airway.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2021Article
- Seven years on from the Canadian Airway Focus Group Difficult Airway Guidelines: an observational survey.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2021Observational
- Canadian Airway Focus Group updated consensus-based recommendations for management of the difficult airway: part 1. Difficult airway management encountered in an unconscious patient.Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2021Article
- In reply: Personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic (Letters #1 and #2).Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie · 2020Article
- High- versus low-fidelity simulation training for emergency front of neck access: A prospective observational study in a Swiss anesthesiology department.Saudi journal of anaesthesiaArticle
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
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- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeWe analyzed closed civil legal cases in 2007-2016 from the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) involving specialist anesthesiologists where airway management was the central concern.
methodsWe included all airway-related civil legal cases involving specialist anesthesiologists that closed from 2007 to 2016. The following variables were abstracted by CMPA medical analysts: clinical context, peer expert opinions of contributing factors, and patient and legal outcomes.
resultsWe found 46 of the 406 (11%) closed cases involving anesthesiologists to be airway-related. Twenty-six cases (57%) involved elective surgery and 31 patients (67%) were categorized as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status III. Twenty-five cases (54%) occurred outside the operating room (e.g., postanesthesia care unit, intensive care unit, or other satellite locations). In 19 (42%) cases, there was at least one predictor of a difficult airway. Peer experts identified judgement failures in 30 cases (65%), most commonly inadequate airway evaluation. In 30 cases (65%), the patient died or had a permanent brain injury. The medicolegal outcome favoured the patient in 27 (59%) cases, with a median [interquartile range] payment of 422,845 [257,637-935,673] CAD.
conclusionsSevere patient harm is common when airway management is the focus of a CMPA medicolegal complaint involving anesthesiologists. Patients were otherwise typically low risk cases presenting for elective surgery. Failure to assess or to change management based on the airway exam or encountered difficulty were the most common errors. Our findings support the continued need for adoption, adherence, and practice of guidelines for anticipated and unanticipated difficult airway management for every patient encounter.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.