The high cost of low-frequency events: the anatomy and economics of surgical mishaps.
This prospective, 1-year survey identified adverse outcomes due to errors from surgical intervention. Results include the specific complications from surgical misadventures and the associated cost estimations. The authors discuss common sources of errors that affected their findings and offer alternative explanations and solutions to reduce the rates. They recommend a need to move beyond simply analyzing errors brought by malpractice litigation and engender an open discussion to prevent these costly and unnecessary events.