[Learning from the experiences of an arbitration unit for medical liability questions].

While other countries', e.g. the United States', experience with alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in medical malpractice has been disappointing, German physicians have instituted extrajudicial claims resolution as an alternative to civil litigation: Established by the Arztekammern (corporate bodies of professional self-governance) in the mid-1970s, the Schlichtungsstellen (SchlSt--claims resolution panels) offer patients and doctors, on a voluntary basis, proceedings directed toward achieving a settlement.

[Medical risk and iatrogenic injury--"accident reports" from the North German Schlichtungsstelle (expert panel for extrajudicial claims resolution)].

Schlichtungsstellen and Gutachterkommission--expert panels for extrajudicial malpractice claims resolution--are well positioned to provide data on iatrogenic injuries and negligence in medical care, based on the information collected from a great number of panel cases. Within the last 4 years, 2000 through 2003, the Norddeutsche Schlichtungsstelle concluded 10,513 Schlichtungsverfahren (panel proceedings), more than three quarters of them related to the surgical specialties; most of the claims addressed operations and postoperative therapy. In the nonsurgical specialities, the highest proportion of the proceedings had to do with procedures.

[Medical errors and iatrogenic injury--results of 173 Schlichtungsstellen proceedings in general practice].

The Schlichtungsstelle (expert panel for alternative dispute resolution) of Northern Germany receives and decides on large numbers of malpractice claims. We report on 173 panel decisions on claims involving general practitioners: Medical negligence was found in 40%, and patient-injuries due to negligence in 28% of these cases. Treatment-caused injuries of the patient were also found in several of the cases decided against the claimant.

[Cardiovascular diseases and the subspecialties cardiology and angiology in "Schlichtungs"- Proceedings].

A: The Schlichtungsstelle (expert panel for alternative dispute resolution) of Northern Germany, in 2001, decided on 2620 malpractice claims; 233 of these were related to the treatment of cardiovascular disorders, coronary and venous diseases being the most common. The physicians involved in these disputes represented 18 (sub-)specialities. Complaints related to procedures were the ones most frequently submitted by the patients, followed by those concerning diagnostics.

[Results of 903 settlement proceedings in internal medicine].

Background And Objective: Physicians - as others in their activities - err and may cause injuries to patients. The case material of Schlichtungsstellen and Gutachterkommissionen (expert panels for extrajudicial claims resolution) may provide suggestions as to the nature and gravity of negligent adverse events in medical care.

Methods: Cases are decided by members of the panel, one physician and one lawyer being responsible for each case.

[The spontaneous regression of a dissection of the descending aorta].

The outcome of an aortic dissection is either endothelialisation of the false lumen forming a so-called double aorta, or thrombosis of the sack leading to fibrosis. Healing of an aortic dissection, particularly if thrombosis and organisation have obliterated the dissected segment, is rare and there are only a few case reports on this finding. We report on a case where spontaneous resolution of the false lumen of Type B aortic dissection was demonstrated by serial contrast enhanced computed tomography after antihypertensive medical treatment.

[Idiopathic edema, capillaropathy, pericardial and pleural effusions with high protein content (author's transl)].

Clinical and electron microscopic studies of two female patients are reported who, in addition to the symptoms and signs of idiopathic edema, had pericardial (and pleural) effusions. In one patient pericardiectomy had to be performed, in the other patient pharmacotherapy with spironolactone was effective. In these patients the protein-concentrations of edema fluid (25 and 12 g/l) and pericardial fluid (55-61 and 48 g/l) were relatively high; the distribution space of labelled protein was increased; blood volumes were low-normal or decreased.