The 20 principal natural categories (PNCs) with most major disabilities
| PNC | Major disabilities in each PNC | No of adverse events in each PNC | Rate of major disability in each PNC (%)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| *The rate of major disability is calculated only for those cases where an outcome was recorded, and not for the total incidence of the PNC. The PNCs highlighted in bold text are also among the most frequent PNCs. †Those which fell into the 20 PNCs with most resource consumption. | |||
| Other PNCs (with at least five cases) that led to high rates of major disability are “No, inadequate prophylaxis for asthma” (7 cases, 43%), “Failure tendon repair/release” (5 cases, 40%), “Infected orthopaedic implanted prosthetic device” (5 cases, 40%), “Postoperative abscess: cholecystectomy, bile duct surgery” (6 cases, 40%), “Failed angioplasty/angiogram” (8 cases, 38%), “Wound breakdown/dehiscence/necrosis - no evidence of infection following abdominal/retroperitoneal/pelvic procedure” (9 cases, 33%), and “Seizure following cessation/reduction/non-prescription of anti-epileptics” (6 cases, 33%). | |||
| No, delay, inadequate investigation ischaemic heart disease† | 20 | 34 | 67 |
| Ongoing pain/restricted movement following back surgery† | 10 | 22 | 50 |
| Postoperative bowel obstruction/adhesions† | 9 | 21 | 43 |
| Injury due to a fall in a nursing home† | 8 | 19 | 42 |
| Problems following radiation therapy† | 8 | 15 | 53 |
| Failed/blocked/ruptured/ aneurysm, vascular grafts† | 5 | 17 | 29 |
| Failed hip replacement† | 5 | 8 | 63 |
| Inadequate reduction of a fracture/poor alignment | 5 | 26 | 19 |
| Recurrent incisional hernia† | 5 | 20 | 25 |
| Stiffness/restricted movement following joint surgery† | 5 | 9 | 56 |
| Wound infection following peripheral procedure† | 5 | 29 | 17 |
| Pressure sore/decubitus ulcer† | 4 | 32 | 13 |
| Acute pain postoperative/procedure | 4 | 16 | 25 |
| Incisional hernia: post-procedural† | 4 | 27 | 15 |
| Diagnosis delay/no/wrong, cancer large bowel** | 3 | 9 | 38 |
| No, delay, inadequate treatment of complications/progression of cancer | 3 | 8 | 38 |
| No, delay, inadequate treatment respiratory problem | 3 | 12 | 25 |
| Bleeding related to warfarin therapy† | 3 | 9 | 33 |
| Pulmonary embolism postoperatively† | 3 | 22 | 14 |
| Diagnosis delay/no/wrong, cancer cervix | 3 | 4 | 75 |