Acute mesenteric ischemia and malpractice claims.

Background: Acute mesenteric ischemia can be a difficult diagnosis to make, but delay contributes directly to infarction, and this may provide a setting for malpractice claims.

Methods: We reviewed 180 consecutive malpractice claims submitted by attorneys for medical expert (ME) review during the 12 years ending in late 1998. Seven cases involved acute mesenteric ischemia.

Results: Alleged failure to make a timely diagnosis was the basis for 5 of these claims, failure to provide anticoagulant protection for 1, and failure to prevent nonocclusive ischemic infarction for 1. Six claims were closed after ME review and 1 claim involving late diagnosis was settled before trial.

Conclusions: The risk of a malpractice claim is reduced by consideration of computed tomography (CT), angiography, and surgical consultation as soon as a patient is seen whose differential diagnosis includes acute mesenteric ischemia.