Medical Errors

Unfortunately, the May 29 article on medical errors is as unenlightening as the original, highly politicized report by the Institute of Medicine. That report extrapolates from an older, smaller study to arrive at a hugely broad estimate of 49,000 to 98,000 deaths from medical error annually in the U.S. However, unless you pay to receive the full text of the actual report, you can find no breakdown of these numbers in the general media.

I am not an anesthesiologist, but I will defend improvements in anesthesia care that have been around for almost 15 years. Pulse oximetry and carbon dioxide monitoring provide instantaneous, real-time information about oxygenation and respiration. Any malpractice carrier will verify that the insurance class for anesthesiologists has improved by several grades and approaches that of a family practitioner who does no surgery.

The problem of medication error is the most amenable to a systems approach with computers. Legibility, distressingly similar drug names or packaging and obvious dosage errors can be minimized with this approach. Moreover, these changes can be instituted without trial lawyers circling overhead.

RICHARD ZALAR MD

Fallbrook