ASA Closed Claims Project

The ASA Closed Claims Project is an in-depth investigation of 7328 closed anesthesia malpractice claims designed to identify major areas of loss, patterns of injury, and strategies for prevention.
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The Pediatric Perioperative Cardiac Arrest (POCA) Registry is an investigation of cardiac arrests and deaths of pediatric patients during administration of or recovery from anesthesia designed to identify the possible relationship of anesthesia to these incidents.
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The Postoperative Visual Loss Registry investigates the mechanism of perioperative ischemic optic neuropathy, a rare but devastating complication of non-ophthalmic surgery.
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The ASA Annual Meeting is an important venue for presenting material from the various projects sponsored by the ASA Professional Liability Committee. The Committee also meets at this time.

VIDEO: On-Patient Fires during Monitored Anesthesia Care
Windows Media File: Streaming / 32MB Download

The ASA Committee on Professional Liability sponsors the projects listed above. The Committee seeks to improve the teaching and understanding of medicolegal affairs of pertinence to anesthesiologists and prevention of medical malpractice claims.
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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific association of physicians organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology and improve the care of the patient. It is the funding sponsor for the ASA Committee on Professional Liability and the committee's projects.
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		Recent Publications

Closed Claims

·	Bird M: Acute Pain Management: A New Area of Liability for Anesthesiologist. ASA Newsletter 71(8), 2007.
·	Cheney FW: Trends in Anesthesia-related Death and Brain Damage: A Closed Claims Analysis. Anesthesiology. 105(6):1081-1086, 2006.
·	Liau DW: Trends in Chronic Pain Management Malpractice Claims. ASA Newsletter 71(8), 2007.
·	VIDEO: On-Patient Fires during Monitored Anesthesia Care. Windows Media File: Streaming / 32MB Download

POCA Registry

·	Bhananker SM et al: Anesthesia-related cardiac arrest in children: update from the Pediatric Perioperative Cardiac Arrest Registry. Anesth Analg. 2007 Aug;105(2):344-50.

Visual Loss

·	Lee LA et al: The American Society of Anesthesiologists Postoperative Visual Loss Registry: Analysis of 93 Spine Surgery Cases with Postoperative Visual Loss. Anesthesiology. 2006 Oct;105(4):652-659.

Committee on Professional Liablity

·	Domino KB: Professional Liability Insurance for Anesthesiologists: Yearly Survey of Premiums. ASA Newsletter 71(8), 2007.
·	Michna E: The Physician’s Emotional Response to a Lawsuit … and Accompanying Ramifications. ASA Newsletter 71(8), 2007.
·	Peterson GN : Malpractice Insurance: What Are the Limits? ASA Newsletter 71(8), 2007.

Note to Patients

These studies are primarily designed to aid physicians in improving their clinical practice. We are sorry we cannot address individual patient questions or provide medical or legal advice.

Note to Patients

www.asaclosedclaims.org