Iatrogenic deaths: A 25-year retrospective study of medicolegal autopsies

Background: It is stipulated in the Danish Health Act that any death which could be caused by a mistake, neglect or accident in relation to treatment or prophylaxis should be reported to the police. It is then within the power of the police to request a medicolegal autopsy. Aim: To profile the possible iatrogenic deaths in relation to different characteristics.

Methods: All cases from 1992 to 2015 registered as doctor’s malpractice were selected. Cases from 2016 were selected based on the autopsy introduction. Included cases were analyzed focusing on different characteristics: type of iatrogenic event, responsible medical professional, place of death, cause of death.

Results: A total of 275, i.e. 2.5% possible iatrogenic deaths out of a total of 11,143 autopsies were included. The most frequent type of iatrogenic event was negligence (42.2%). Most often a hospital doctor was the responsible party including surgeons (40%) and physicians (13.5%). The three most common causes of death were cardiovascular disease (22.2%), infection/inflammation (17.8%) and hemorrhage (16%).

Conclusion: The results from this study can contribute to the knowledge of what to be aware of when dealing with the death of a person who has been in contact with the health care system.