Event types for RCAs reviewed between 2001 and 2008
| Type | Frequency | Per cent |
|---|---|---|
| Procedure complication | 63 | 20.7 |
| Cardiopulmonary arrest | 41 | 13.5 |
| Neurological deficit | 35 | 11.5 |
| Retained foreign body | 25 | 8.2 |
| Pulmonary/arterial embolus | 21 | 6.9 |
| Birth complication | 15 | 4.9 |
| Medication administration error | 13 | 4.3 |
| Incorrect procedure/study | 12 | 3.9 |
| Sepsis | 11 | 3.6 |
| Wrong-site surgery/procedure | 9 | 3.0 |
| Devastating illness | 9 | 3.0 |
| Myocardial infarction | 8 | 2.6 |
| Haemorrhage/haematoma | 7 | 2.3 |
| Arrhythmia | 6 | 2.0 |
| Unknown cause of death | 6 | 2.0 |
| Adverse medication event | 4 | 1.3 |
| Compartment syndrome | 3 | 1.0 |
| Fall, inpatient | 3 | 1.0 |
| Event proximate to discharge | 2 | 0.7 |
| Self-harm | 2 | 0.7 |
| Electrolyte disturbance | 2 | 0.7 |
| Assault, inpatient | 1 | 0.3 |
| Bowel perforation | 1 | 0.3 |
| Equipment failure | 1 | 0.3 |
| Sleep apnoea | 1 | 0.3 |
| Ventilator complication | 1 | 0.3 |
| Total | 302 |
RCA, root cause analysis.